Notable Specimens: White lobster donated to Oceanworld Aquarium in Dingle, Ireland for breeding program

Lucky’s story went viral and was even covered by National Geographic. One of the first times that a cotton candy lobster made headlines was in 2018 when fisherman Robinson Russell donated “Lucky” to the Huntsman Marine Science Centre in New Brunswick. The first time he caught the cotton candy lobster it was too small to keep and after the second time he decided to keep it until he could donate the lobster to an aquarium. Like white lobsters, cotton candy lobsters appear every few years and one fisherman even caught the same cotton candy lobster twice in Casco Bay, Oregon in 2019. Scientists also think that the unique pink and blue coloring under a translucent shell may just be a sub-type of an albino lobster. The cotton candy or pastel lobster is believed to be about as rare as the white lobster. Photo source: Instagram via Robinson Russell Most Recently Found In: Casco Bay, Oregon, USA in 2019 Occurrence: Unknown for sure, but believed to be as rare as white lobster (1 in 100 million) The Biomes Marine Biology Center in Rhode Island reported that an unusually high number of calico lobsters were discovered in 2009 and the aquarium has been gifted several calico lobsters in recent years. Luckily, these calico lobsters were donated to research aquariums. Instead, calico lobsters have become famous for being spared from the dinner plate after being noticed by restaurant staff or seafood market employees. Surprisingly, calico lobsters are necessarily noticed by lobstermen (probably because of their darker color) when they’re captured. According to the University of Maine’s Lobster Institute, finding a calico lobster is a 1 in 30 million chance. Photo source: NPR via Tony LaCasse of New England AquariumĬalico lobsters, which have a mottled black and orange shell, are some of the most unique lobsters out there. Most Recently Found In: Caught in Maine, but discovered at Maryland seafood market in 2018 Notable Specimens: Eve, Friendly Kreuger, and Calvin The yellow lobster donated to the New England Aquarium joined a multicolored lobster exhibit that contains unusually colored lobsters including blue, orange, split-colored, and more. Similar to orange lobsters, yellow lobsters lack the proper proteins to produce normal coloration. The restaurant decided not to cook the yellow lobster, named her Ruby, and put her on display in her own tank. The other yellow lobster was caught in Nova Scotia and made it all the way to a Manhattan restaurant before anyone noticed.

One of the lobsters was caught in Massachusetts by lobsterman Bill Porter and donated to the New England Aquarium. While yellow lobsters only appear once in every thirty million, two yellow lobsters were found in 2017. Photo source: Food & Wine via Jack Milton of the Portland Press Herald Most Recently Found In: Massachusetts in 2017 Nova Scotia in 2017 Upon receiving the news, staff at the Ohio zoo sprang into action to prepare a new home for him.Notable Specimens: Pale yellow lobster donated to New England Aquarium and Ruby After discovering the rare crustacean, they named it Clawde, after the restaurant chain’s mascot, and contacted the Monterey Bay Aquarium, who then reached out to the Akron Zoo. Only one in every 2 million animals has the blue coloration, which is the result of a genetic anomaly. Last year, GNN reported the story of an Ohio Red Lobster team member noticing a rare blue lobster among the others. This isn’t the first time Red Lobster staff have noticed an intriguing-looking crustacean. “We see as an opportunity to share nature’s anomaly with guests,” explained Virginia Living Museum’s Senior Director of Animal Welfare and Conservation Chris Crippen in a statement, “as well as continue important education about sustainable seafood practices and significant conservation efforts of the American lobster fishery.” MORE: Zoo Penguins Delight in Their New Bubble Maker-A Gift From Staff During Quarantine Virginia Living MuseumĪfter a veterinary evaluation and quarantining for 30 days to make sure he is still healthy, Freckles will soon join the museum’s public exhibit in the Chesapeake Bay Gallery. The Virginia Living Museum and Red Lobster are both partners in the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program, which is committed to choosing sustainable seafood for healthier oceans, now and for future generations. At the end of last month, a couple of staff members from the aquarium collected the lobster and safely transported him to his new home. The restaurant was connected to the aquarium at Virginia Living Museum. Calico lobsters seldom survive in the wild because their bright colors make them easily spotted by predators.