STAFF SHELL SHOCKED BY BLUE LOBSTER 'TWIN'

Shell-shocked staff thought they were seeing double at Bristol Aquarium, when they discovered Charlotte, their rare blue lobster, apparently sharing her display with an identical twin.

On closer inspection it became clear the ‘twin’ was in fact a rare complete moult.

The delicate moult is an exact replica of Charlotte including both claws, legs and even antennae.

Bristol Aquarium’s Sarah Moore said: “Charlotte was one of the first arrivals here at the aquarium and her amazing colouration has always made her popular with visitors.

“When the aquarists came in they discovered what appeared to be two identical blue lobsters sitting next to each other in our Bay of Rays display.

Adding “as Charlotte’s colour is so unusual, we weren’t sure whether she would revert back to a more normal pigment after moulting, however we’re delighted that she is now even brighter blue than before – as well as being quite a bit bigger.”

The empty 'shellsuit' has been retrieved by the Aquarists, who plan to put it on display in their Learning Lab in the near future.

The European lobster is the largest and strongest of all British crustaceans. It can live for 40 years or more and the largest ever caught was landed in Cornwall in 1931 - weighing in at 9.3kgs and measuring an amazing 126 centimetres long from tail to tip of antennae.

Lobsters are among the planet’s oldest inhabitants with fossil remains found dating back more than 100 million years. They are also extremely long-lived with some individuals reaching ages in excess of 80 years.

A lobster’s claws grow much faster than the rest of its body. In one giant specimen its claws were twice the weight of the rest of the animal.

As with most members of the crustacean family, lobsters are also able to re-grow lost limbs and even re-generate missing eyes.