Rare Orange Lobster Rescued By Restaurant Employee

July 12, 2024, began like any other day for Jose Romero. The dishwasher at Red Lobster in Pueblo, Colorado, began his shift by unpacking the day's lobster shipments. But as he dug into the crate filled with the live crustaceans, he noticed a vibrant orange lobster. It was unlike any other he had seen in his twelve years at the job.

Realizing he had stumbled upon something extraordinary, Romero showed his find to Kendra Kastendieck, the restaurant's general manager. Kastendieck, who has worked in the food industry for two decades, had never encountered an orange lobster, either.

“Everybody knows the blue lobsters because they make such headlines and they’re so brilliant in color, but those are only one in 2 million, the orange ones are one in 30 million. So we thought that was extra cool when it came into the restaurant,” Kastendieck said.

The Red Lobster team named the unique lobster "Crush" in honor of the Denver Broncos' first championship team, "The Orange Crush."

"Myself and many of my team are born and raised Denver Broncos fans, so as soon as we saw that orange color, we knew that Crush would be an excellent representation," said Kastendieck.

They then set out to find Crush a forever home and met a willing taker in Denver's Downtown Aquarium. The lobster was shipped to its new home on July 17. It underwent a 30-day quarantine period. Crush then joined the other North Atlantic Ocean dwellers like American spiny lobsters in the "Lurks" exhibit.

Crush was not the only unusual lobster found recently. On July 21, 2024, a fisher captured an even rarer “cotton candy” colored lobster off the coast of New Hampshire, USA. The Seacoast Science Center, where the lobster is now housed, says the chances of finding a lobster with pink, purple, and blue hues are 1 in 100 million!

Lobsters are often viewed as just a culinary delight. However, the crustaceans, which can be found in oceans worldwide, are fascinating creatures. Lobster shells contain a distinct blend of red, blue, and yellow pigments. These typically combine to produce their characteristic brown color. However, varying concentrations and combinations of these pigments can result in a stunning range of colors, as seen in the two recently discovered lobsters.

But their unique features do not stop there. The crustaceans' brains are located in their throats, teeth in their stomachs, and kidneys in their heads! The aquatic animals have poor eyesight. But they make up for it by using their legs to hear and feet to taste food. And those that escape the dinner table can live up to 50 years!

Resources: wgna.com, seacoastonline.com, USAtoday.com