Toddler-Sized Maine Lobster Returns to Atlantic Ocean

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Maine State Aquarium / Reuters

Maine State Aquarium Manager Aimee Hayden-Roderiques holds "Rocky," the 27-pound lobster.

Weighing in at 27 pounds, Rocky is the largest lobster ever caught in Maine. Last week, the 40-inch crustacean was released back into the Atlantic after being found caught in a shrimp net, Reuters reports.

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Fisherman Robert Malone caught the lobster, which is roughly the size of a toddler, near the seaside town of Cushing. State regulations prohibit fishermen from keeping lobsters measuring more than 5 inches from the eyes to the end of the tail, so Malone brought him to the Maine State Aquarium in West Boothbay. He was dubbed Rocky, perhaps because he was found near Rockland, or perhaps because his giant claws lend him a Rocky Balboa-esque presence. After a few days at the aquarium, Rocky became acclimated to the waters of West Boothbay, and on Thursday was released back into the sea.

Though Rocky’s girth is considerable, he’s by no means the largest lobster in the world. That title, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, belongs to a 44-pound crustacean caught off Nova Scotia in 1977.

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