‘Rare’ mutation similar to antlers appears on Florida sea creature. What caused it?

A mutant sea creature has caught the attention of Florida wildlife officials.

And they have a theory for its peculiar appearance.

The crustacean in question is a Caribbean spiny lobster, which aren’t that pretty to begin with.

However, someone caught one that appears to have grown antlers like a buck.

“Last week, an intriguing image came our way — a Caribbean spiny lobster (Panulirus argus) with a captivating set of antennae. But how did it end up like this?” the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission wrote in an Aug 25 Facebook post.

“This oddity is likely the result of an older physical injury that has turned into a fascinating molt abnormality.”

Molting is when lobsters shed their shell and regrow a larger one — a process that can help them regrow legs and antennae. However, the injury led to a completely different scenario, officials suspect.

In essence, one antenna became three, photos show.

“Here’s the likely scenario: when this lobster was much younger, an injury may have split its antenna,” officials say.

“As healing set in and the lobster began to regenerate the antenna, an additional antenna sprouted from one side. As the lobster grew, the antenna grew. ... This discovery is rare, both due to the uncommon nature of the original injury and the fact that the new antenna has developed so much and hasn’t disrupted the molting process.”

It’s a surprise the lobster survived, officials say.

An estimated age for the lobster was not provided, but young lobsters may molt multiple times annually, officials said. As they age, the process slows.

Hundreds of people have posted reactions and comments to the Facebook post, including some who suggested it might be due to pollution or contaminants from oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico.

“It is like antlers,” one commenter posted.

The fate of the lobster, and where it was caught, was not revealed. The species is native to “tropical and subtropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and Gulf of Mexico,” the state reports.

Their long antennae are a defense mechanism “that they wave to scare off predators,” officials say.

This story was originally published August 29, 2023 at 4:38 AM with the headline "‘Rare’ mutation similar to antlers appears on Florida sea creature. What caused it?."