Crazy Colored Lobsters Keep Popping Up, Get Spared

A veritable rainbow of freakish lobsters are currently enjoying their fifteen minutes of fame rather than spending the same amount of time in a pot screaming and dying, and the bulk of them have been in restaurant kitchens right here in Massachusetts. Blue, orange and even calico-colored lobsters have been spotted by chefs including Jasper White of Summer Shack fame, and apparently the weirder a lobster looks, the less likely it is to be dunked in butter. All of the mutant lobsters remain alive, which probably can't be said for their boring old tankmates. Here's a where-are-they now breakdown of the lucky crustaceans.

Calvin the Calico Lobster - Found by Jasper White in the kitchen of the Cambridge Summer Shack in early May. White saw it while his crew was cleaning the lobster tank and exclaimed "Oh, God, it’s spectacular!" The creature was dubbed Calvin and got to travel via Commuter Rail (in a cooler) on its way to the Biomes Marine Biology Center in North Kingstown, Rhode Island, where it now entertains kids on field trips. The odds of finding your own Calvin? About one in 30 million.

Toby the Blue Lobster - A ship called Pot Luck found something odd in their catch west of Ocean City, Maryland last week. It turned out to be a smurf-blue lobster, the result of a genetic mutation. Toby, as the lobster was named, is bound for the National Aquarium, and the ship's captain says this happened once before, nine years ago. Pot Luck indeed. The odds: one in two million.

Six Orange Lobsters - A half dozen "carrot colored" lobsters were found in a 100 pound shipment by a manager at Fresh Catch Seafood and Deli in Mansfield, MA just days ago. "‘Oh my God, boss, look, they put the cooked lobsters in with the live lobsters," said an employee. The lobsters were caught in the waters off Quebec and are now on display at the restaurant. The odds: one in 10 million.

· Rare calico lobster is spared from the menu [NYT]
· Rare blue lobster found near Ocean City [CBS]
· Six rare lobsters on display at Mansfield deli [Boston.com]
· The definitive guide to Boston's best lobster rolls [~EBOS~]