Rare Lobster in Silver Spring Expected To Star in Children’s Book

Calico-shelled crustacean is 1-in-30 million, experts say

By Charlie Wright

Ocean City Seafood spokeswoman Rita Montoya introduces her 4-year-old son Ignacio to Eve the calico lobster. Via Rita Montoya

A rare calico lobster living in a tank at Ocean City Seafood in Silver Spring will escape the dinner table and be featured in a book for children.

The lobster, named Eve by the owner of the market, was found in a routine shipment from Maine on Dec. 21.

Her speckled orange-and-black shell caught the eye of the market’s owner and he set her aside, rejecting offers to sell her.

“He didn’t know at that point that she was a calico lobster or that it was a rare thing,” said Rita Montoya, a spokeswoman for the Flower Avenue shop. “He just knew that he had never seen a lobster like that before.”

Without providing additional details, Montoya said an award-winning illustrator will make Eve the star in an upcoming children’s book.

“It’s an exciting time around here in east Silver Spring,” Montoya said.

Calico lobsters are among the rarest in the ocean, with the chances of finding one estimated at 1 in 30 million, according to the University of Maine Lobster Institute. The only lobsters rarer than the calico are split-colored lobsters, which are equal parts orange and brown.

Ocean City Seafood is in discussions with a number of organizations about Eve’s future destination, though no plans have been made, Montoya said.

The Georgia Aquarium, largest in the United States, has emerged as a possible landing spot. Officials from the aquarium said they have not finalized plans but are discussing possibilities with their biologists.

“The possibility of caring for such a unique and rare animal, plus being able to potentially share that with our guests is something we would be very excited to do,” Georgia Aquarium spokeswoman Paige Hale said in an email.

Ocean City Seafood has also received an offer from PETA, one that wouldn’t allow Eve to be shared with anyone.

“This lobster’s unique coloring shouldn’t land her in an aquarium’s tank any more than it should on someone’s plate,” PETA Director Danielle Katz said in a statement. “PETA has asked Ocean City Seafood to give this beauty her freedom and return her to the ocean, where she’ll be able to pursue everything that’s natural and important to her.”