Alex the Lobster - King of the Tank

Life was tough when Alex was young. He was a small lobster and larger lobsters bullied him.

One day a beating went too far. A large lobster cut off both of Alex's claws, leaving him defenceless.

Alex was rescued and taken into the large tank at the Sea Life Centre in Tobermory on Mull where the kind staff fed him.

But Alex wasn't king of the tank. Although he was largest creature in this new glass-walled world, there were two crabs and each of them had one pincer each. (How they each lost one pincer is another story altogether).

So the larger crab was king of the tank. Or at least, he was until a few weeks ago.

Then Alex did what all lobsters do from time to time. Alex shed his shell.

The new Alex which emerged was significantly different from the old Alex in one very important way.

The new Alex had one claw. The crab shat himself.

New Alex was big and tooled up. He took the crown by force.

Today, the other crabs hide in the small nooks and crannys of the tank where Alex and his crushing claw can't reach, fondly remembering when they were in charge.

Occasionally new crabs are introduced to the tank, but they can't learn fast enough.

Alex eats them.

In fact, anything the kind staff drop in the tank, Alex gets to first. Especially the (dead) prawns, which he burries in the sand to save for later.

One day Alex will shed his shell again. perhaps the new new Alex will have two claws.

If he does, he'll be put back in the Sound of Mull. We'll see who's king then.

We learnt all this on a day paddle from Glenborrodale to Tobermory. Honestly, it was better than Eastenders.