A very rare orange lobster was cooked alive at a restaurant in Mississippi (USA) after the chefs realized that the creature was different from the norm.

The appearance of the fluorescent crustacean intrigued the staff of the Red Lobster restaurant, especially since it represents a species that is found only once among 30 million other specimens.

Chefs affectionately named the lobster “biscuit” because of the confusion it caused. However, this is not the first time a lobster of this type has arrived at the chain restaurant.

According to the Sun Herald, the first orange lobster was spotted in mid-July at the Red Lobster Unit in Hollywood, Florida. She earned the name “Cheddar”.

For biologists, it is no coincidence that two unusual lobsters appear in units of the same franchise. Crustacean expert Jared Durrett, a researcher at Ripley’s Aquarium in Myrtle Beach, claims the phenomenon may be related to some environmental changes affecting these animals.

“Orange lobsters are unusual, but not as rare as we thought. Lobsters get their color from pigments they eat in their diet. If these orange lobsters are caught in the same area, perhaps their localized diet contains a pigment. Combined with lobster genetics, it creates the orange color we see,” Durrett declared.

Cheddar and Biscuit were rescued and taken to Ripley’s Aquarium, where they will be cared for and studied.

These lobsters are rare because their bright colors make them attractive to predators. Most of them are rusty brown in color and turn red when cooked because the heat changes the pigment molecules in their bodies.

Ripley’s Aquarium researchers said in a statement that they partnered with Red Lobster to study the anomaly of the orange crustaceans.

“We plan to delve deeper into this and study the reasons why this anomaly occurs so frequently. Our partnership with Red Lobster will allow us to capture data from fishermen.

The situation marks an opportunity for the company to get to know these animals better and their relevance to the environment, said Red Lobster spokeswoman Nicole Bott, who was investigated by the press. However, the executive pointed out that there are some theories for the appearance of orange lobsters, especially during the summer months.

“On the rare occasion that you get a lobster bisque, you have to ask why,” he said. “We’re hearing from our fishermen in the Cheddar and Biscuit catch area that we’re seeing a lot of orange lobsters this year. This indicates that the color is coming from different food sources. We’re excited to support Ripley. Do research and learn more about our changing lobster population,” he concluded.