Dalhousie University’s Beaty Centre for Marine Biodiversity has a new attraction: Oscar, a rare half-orange lobster. Oscar was trapped by a fisherman in South Shore who recognized how rare he was and contacted Dal to see if they would take him. Since arriving at Dal, Oscar has been a favourite who has attracted visitors to the aquarium and research facility. “He is so rare, it is one in 50 million, and he is the second-rarest lobster in the world,” said Beaty Centre Visitor Experience Facilitator Nadia Stewart, who explained that the lobster has two genetic information sets. Stewart said that the fisherman’s choice to donate Oscar was potentially life-saving because lobsters with “standout colours” often are predated upon quickly in the wild.
