A remarkably rare white lobster nicknamed “Casper” has arrived at the University of New England, where scientists will study its unusual coloring as part of an ongoing genetics project.
The pale lobster is considered an extraordinary find, with estimates suggesting that only about 1 in 100 million lobsters displays this ghostly white appearance.
Casper was transferred to the university’s Arthur P. Girard Marine Science Center after being donated by the Maine State Aquarium in Boothbay.
Its arrival just before Halloween is especially fitting given the lobster’s almost spectral appearance.
Researchers plan to collect a small DNA sample from Casper as part of a study exploring why some American lobsters develop colors that differ dramatically from the species’ typical mottled brown shell.
The project has already included lobsters with orange, blue, yellow, purple, calico and split-color patterns.
University officials say the sampling process is noninvasive and will not harm the animal.
Led by marine sciences professor Markus Frederich, Ph.D., the research team is studying the genetic and molecular mechanisms behind these unusual color variations.
Casper at the University of New England’s Arthur P. Girard Marine Science Center.
The university launched the research effort in 2024 after several unusually colored lobsters arrived at the marine center.
Among them was Peaches, an orange lobster believed to occur in roughly 1 out of every 30 million animals.
Peaches later produced offspring in several different colors, including brown, orange and blue. That gave researchers a rare opportunity to investigate whether unusual shell coloration can be inherited.
Scientists have since collected genetic samples from the juvenile lobsters and are examining more than 15,000 genes to identify possible differences connected to shell color.
Casper now gives the team a chance to study one of the rarest variations yet.
The lobster’s transfer from the Maine State Aquarium was coordinated by University of New England graduate Rue Motulsky, who previously worked on the genetics project as a student and contributed to research into lobster coloration.
For scientists, Casper is more than an eye-catching curiosity.
“Animals like Casper capture people’s attention because they are so rare and beautiful,” Frederich said. “But, for us, they also provide an amazing opportunity to ask fundamental biological questions.”
Casper’s unusual appearance may ultimately help researchers better understand how genetics can produce some of the most striking color variations seen in the natural world.