As someone who isn’t a fan of things with claws, I’m fairly freaked out by this story. In fact, the accompanying picture will probably give me nightmares later, partly because it’s exactly what I picture Stephen King’s “lobstrosities” to look like (The Dark Tower II).

Nonetheless, I’m equally fascinated by the things that dwell in deep waters, because it seems there is always something to be learned and discovered about those creatures. We may never really know how many species live in the deepest, darkest parts of the oceans; it’s almost as vast a mystery as the universe is. If you don’t think so, just check out this photo of a 21-pound lobster caught off the coast of Cape Cod.

(image)
Image credit: Elise Costa/WBZ

The 40-inch monster is displayed by restaurant manager Elise Costa. Those claws, in case you can’t tell from the image, are about a foot long, and the creatures carry a considerable amount of their weight in them. Therefore, they have enough power to seriously hurt an adult human.

“I had its tail on my shoulder and I had each claw in one of my hands, and it was as long as my arms and as big as my torso,” said Costa. “It’s giant.”

A 27-pound lobster was caught off the coast of Maine recently and a crustacean with claws that big could “break a man’s arm”, according to Elaine Jones, director for the state’s Department of Marine Resources, and is the largest lobster ever recorded in Maine’s history.

Costa said her catch will be put on display briefly before being auctioned off for charity and may eventually be released back into the wild waters it came from.