Lobsters exhibit a diverse array of colors in their natural habitat, challenging the common perception that all lobsters are naturally red. While the vibrant red hue is familiar from cooked dishes, live lobsters display a diverse palette that helps them blend into their underwater environments. This coloration is a complex interplay of pigments and genetics.
The Common Hues
Most live lobsters display a mottled greenish-brown to blackish-brown pattern. This common coloration provides effective camouflage within their rocky, seaweed-filled ocean floor habitats. Various pigments within their shells create this appearance, helping them hide from both predators and prey. This natural disguise is crucial for their survival.
Rare and Unusual Shades
Lobsters can exhibit rare and unusual colors due to genetic variations. Blue lobsters, for instance, possess an electric blue shell and are estimated at 1 in 2 million individuals. These blue crustaceans result from a genetic mutation leading to an overproduction of a specific blue protein. Naturally occurring red lobsters, appearing red before cooking, are even rarer, estimated at 1 in 10 million.
Orange and yellow lobsters are also found, estimated at 1 in 30 million individuals. Calico lobsters present a distinctive mottled pattern of orange and black, similarly estimated at 1 in 30 million. The rarest coloration is the albino lobster, which appears white or translucent due to a lack of pigment, occurring in about 1 in over 100 million. Also rare are “cotton candy” lobsters, displaying pastel blue and pink, and split-colored lobsters, distinctly half one color and half another.
The Science of Lobster Color
Lobster coloration stems from pigments, primarily a carotenoid called astaxanthin. Lobsters obtain astaxanthin through their diet, consuming organisms like algae and shellfish that contain this pigment. Once ingested, astaxanthin binds with proteins within the lobster’s shell, particularly crustacyanin.
The specific way astaxanthin binds with these proteins determines the resulting color. For instance, when astaxanthin is bound to crustacyanin, it can produce a blue hue. Genetic mutations can alter the structure or expression of these proteins, leading to the unusual colors seen in rare lobsters. An overproduction of crustacyanin, for example, results in blue lobsters, while reduced production allows the inherent red of astaxanthin to dominate, leading to naturally red, orange, or yellow lobsters. While genetics play the primary role, diet can influence the vibrancy of existing pigments.
What Happens When Cooked
The color change lobsters undergo when cooked results from a chemical reaction involving heat and pigments. Live lobsters appear dark because astaxanthin is bound to proteins within their shells. This binding masks its natural red color, contributing to camouflage.
When heat is applied, the proteins that bind with astaxanthin denature, breaking down and losing their original shape. This releases the astaxanthin pigment, allowing its natural red or orange color to become visible. Most lobsters, regardless of their original live color, turn bright red or orange once cooked, as astaxanthin is no longer masked. Albino lobsters, however, lack this pigment and remain white or translucent after cooking.