Colorado Red Lobster rescues rare 1 in 30 million orange lobster moments before it's cooked to death

An extremely rare orange lobster , blessed with a genetic quirk, narrowly escaped becoming the centerpiece of a seafood dinner after being discovered at a Red Lobster locale in Colorado.

This extraordinary find happened last Friday when a diligent dishwasher at the Pueblo, Colorado, restaurant spotted the unusual crustacean amid a delivery, according to KTLA 5's report quoting a nearby aquarium source.

Thanks to its vivid, tangerine-hued armor, unlike its more common kin, this lucky lobster was quickly noticed and spared the boiling pot. Speaking to KTLA 5, Kendra Kastendieck, the general manager at the Red Lobster establishment, pointed out that typical lobsters don "very dark brown with maybe a few small spots or discoloration points."

"So having one that was bright orange that none of us had ever seen was definitely a bit of a shock," Kastendieck said, reports the Express US .

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Motivated by their unique discovery, the team swiftly arranged for the vibrant creature to be settled into a new, long-term abode at the Downtown Aquarium in Denver, a good 110 miles away from Pubelo.

Ensuring a safe and smooth transition, the restaurant crew prepared the orange lobster for transit with ice packs nestled within a styrofoam container, as detailed by the Associated Press.

Ryan Herman, the Downtown Aquarium's general curator, couldn't contain his excitement, saying, "We are thrilled to be able to share this very rare and extraordinary animal with the community and visitors to Colorado".

The vibrant orange lobster was caught off the coast of Canada and then transported to a Red Lobster restaurant by a supplier based in Tennessee. According to KTLA 5, citing aquarium officials, the lobster's unique color is due to a genetic mutation that occurs in approximately one out of every 30 million lobsters.

"The lobster's distinctive hue is caused by a genetic mutation which impacts and inhibits encoded proteins. The absence of one or more proteins can result in various colors, including blue, yellow, and orange," explained the Downtown Aquarium.

In a nod to the Denver Broncos' iconic "Orange Crush" defense line from the late 1970s, the restaurant staff decided to name the lobster "Crush,".