By Miyeilis Flores
19 Jul 2024, 17:54 PM EDT
A dishwasher named Jose Romero discovered a rare species of orange lobster that occurs once in 30 million while unpacking a shipment at a Red Lobster in Pueblo, Colorado.
The orange lobster was named Crush in honor of the Denver Broncos’ legendary Orange Crush defense, and has been living at Denver’s Downtown Aquarium since July 17.
The curious discovery occurred on Friday, July 12 at Red Lobster in Pueblo, Colorado, where Romero has worked for at least 12 years.
It was not the first time Romero had seen a rare specimen, as “the first thought that crossed his mind was that he had seen a blue lobster before, that it was different, but he had never seen an orange one.”
Denver Downtown Aquarium general curator Ryan Herman said the aquarium is thrilled to be able to share “this rare and extraordinary animal with the Colorado community and visitors.”
Orange lobsters are very rare to find, to the point that you see one in 30 million, Today reports. This characteristic color is due to “a genetic mutation” that “affects and prevents protein coding,” the aquarium experts explain.
A deficiency in one or more proteins can cause a lobster to have different colors, such as blue, yellow and orange.
Denver’s Downtown Aquarium had just one orange lobster in its collection before Crush arrived, who will spend 30 days in quarantine before being placed in the “Look Forward” exhibit, which houses other cold-water species from the North Atlantic Ocean.
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