Teenager Makes One-In-Two-Million Discovery Of Blue Lobster

Scientists at the Lobster Institute at the University of Maine say that the blue lobster caught by Meghan LaPlante, a lucky 14-year-old Maine lobsterwoman is a rare find — the unique blue color only occurs in one in two million lobsters, reports The Boston Globe.

The unusual hue is the result of a genetic defect that leads to the excess production of a particular protein, which combines with a red pigment molecule to give the lobster its blue color. Although blue lobsters are indeed rare, they are not the rarest of unusual pigmentation to be found in lobsters.

In fact, albino lobsters are thought to occur once in every 100 million lobsters, while yellow lobsters are estimated to occur once in every 30 million lobsters. Earlier in August, a rare yellow lobster was rescued from a Florida supermarket and is now a permanent resident of the Seacoast Science Center in New Hampshire

LaPlante , whose family runs the aptly-named Miss Meghan's Lobster Catch, once caught (and threw back) a six-pound lobster, reportedly donated the blue lobster (whom she named Skyler) to the Maine State Aquarium.

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Karen Lo is an associate editor at The Daily Meal. Follow her on Twitter @appleplexy.