Lobsters display a surprising array of colors beyond the familiar red seen on dinner plates. These crustaceans exhibit a spectrum of hues in their natural environments, from typical camouflage shades to vibrant, extraordinary tones. Their diverse coloration is a testament to complex biological mechanisms and genetic variations.
Standard Lobster Colors
In their natural habitats, most lobsters display colors that offer effective camouflage. The most common color for American lobsters is a mottled greenish-brown or dark bluish-green. These subdued shades allow them to blend seamlessly with rocky, sandy, and seaweed-filled environments, helping them avoid predators and ambush prey. This natural coloration serves as a protective adaptation in the marine ecosystem.
Extraordinary Lobster Colors
Beyond common drab colors, lobsters can exhibit extraordinary and rare hues due to genetic mutations. Blue lobsters, for instance, possess a vibrant blue color, occurring in approximately 1 in 2 million individuals, resulting from an overproduction of a protein binding with astaxanthin.
Red lobsters, distinct from their cooked counterparts, are found in the wild at an estimated occurrence of 1 in 10 million; their hue is attributed to mutations reducing crustacyanin, allowing red astaxanthin to dominate. Orange and yellow lobsters are also rare, appearing at rates of about 1 in 10 million for orange and 1 in 30 million for yellow, stemming from genetic anomalies affecting pigment expression.
Calico lobsters feature a mottled pattern of orange, yellow, and black, occurring at about 1 in 30 million due to a genetic mutation affecting pigment distribution. Among the rarest are albino or white lobsters, which lack pigmentation entirely, appearing translucent or ghostly white with an estimated occurrence of 1 in 100 million. This absence of color makes them vulnerable in the wild.
The Science Behind Lobster Color
The diverse coloration of lobsters is governed by a carotenoid pigment called astaxanthin. Astaxanthin is naturally red, but in live lobsters, it binds with various proteins, particularly crustacyanin, within their shells. This binding twists the astaxanthin molecule, altering how it reflects light and resulting in colors like blue, green, and brown.
Genetic factors play a primary role in determining a lobster’s color by influencing the production and interaction of these proteins and pigments. While genetics establish the underlying color, diet can subtly influence the intensity of these hues, as lobsters acquire astaxanthin from the algae and other organisms they consume. Diet does not fundamentally change the genetically determined base color.
Lobster Color After Cooking
When lobsters are cooked, their shells turn a vibrant red or orange. This change is due to a process called denaturation. Heat breaks the bonds between the astaxanthin pigment and the proteins (like crustacyanin) in the lobster’s shell.
Once these bonds are broken, the astaxanthin is released and reverts to its natural, stable red-orange color. This explains why lobsters of various live colors—from greenish-brown to blue or yellow—all achieve a similar red hue after being exposed to heat. The only exception is the rare albino lobster, which lacks astaxanthin and therefore does not turn red when cooked.