Holidaymakers renting holiday cottages in Padstow may have their interest piqued by an extremely rare-coloured lobster being exhibited at a local hatchery.
Baptized Jaffa by the staff of the National Lobster Hatchery, the peculiar crustacean exhibits what is, according to one of the workers at the hatchery, a “one in ten million colour morph”. This fortuitous anomaly has given Jaffa prime status within the attraction, and tourists staying in holiday cottages in Padstow may well want to pay a visit to this rare and interesting specimen.
Lobsters caught along the coast of Cornwall are generally light brown or even dark blue in tone, and very rarely do they exhibit Jaffa’s bright orange hues. Technicians at the hatchery are mystified by this specimen, that was turned into the charity by a Paingnton-based shellfish and seafood company, but assume Jaffa’s ultra-rare colour morph comes as a result of the interaction between astaxanthin (a pigment typically found in lobster shells) and the proteins in this lobster’s diet. Said interaction tends to dictate the hue of a lobster’s shell, with each specimen’s diet influencing its lighter or darker hues. As a senior technician explains, however, colour morphs such as Jaffa’s, work slightly differently, which makes him of special interest to the hatchery.
The National Lobster Hatchery charity released its last specimen, Thermidore, back into the wild in 2010. Sources among the staff have noted that finding another lobster with Jaffa’s colour morph would be excellent for their cause, as it would allow them to obtain babies, which could later be used as markers to indicate the movements of juveniles after their release from the facility.
The discovery of this unusual lobster will almost certainly be another attraction for the many holidaymakers, who are renting holiday cottages in Padstow, to visit.
To enquire about holiday cottages in Padstow, contact Classic Cottages at http://www.classic.co.uk/ or call 01326 555555.