A speckled lobster caught the eye of some chefs at Red Lobster. Turns out, it's 1 in 30 million
Freckles is the luckiest lobster you'll ever meet.
Although he now lives in a saltwater tank at the Virginia Living Museum in Newport News, he was almost dinner.
Brittany Sorensen, training and enrichment coordinator at the museum, explained why Freckles is so special.
"This lobster is actually incredibly rare," Sorensen . "It's one of the rarest kinds. Calico or orangey-colored lobsters, or any yellowish coloration on them only happens in about 1 in 30 million, which is ridiculous."
Freckles' golden speckles are what set him apart.
It's also what made the cooks at a Red Lobster in Manassas, Virginia, call conservation experts instead of plopping him in a pot of boiling water.
"They saw him and thought, 'This is not normal, this is something new and special,'" she said. "It's really great that they saw that and saw that opportunity to not only help this animal out and give this animal a home but also to provide it with a good home that also contributes to the education and conservation of natural things."
According to Sorensen, the lobster's special speckles are due to a protein deficiency that makes him more vulnerable to predators.
"This coloration in here would show more than blue-green or brown coloration," Sorensen said.
Sorensen isn't sure how old Freckles is or how large he'll get but says some scientists think these types of lobsters are almost as intelligent as an octopus.
"He's an amazing tool for education," she said. "We're very excited to be able to show him to people."