Casper, a white lobster, was donated by the Maine State Aquarium to the University of New England in Biddeford, where researchers will study its shell color with noninvasive genetic methods. The odds of finding a white lobster are estimated at one in 100 million.
Casper’s white coloration is the rarest represented in the study to date. Launched in 2024 and led by UNE marine sciences professor Markus Frederich, the project involves students and includes genetic samples from juvenile offspring of Peaches, an orange lobster. The offspring range from brown to orange and blue, and researchers are analyzing more than 15,000 genes for differences linked to shell color; Peaches’ orange coloration is estimated to occur in one in 30 million lobsters.
