[Faline]

An incredible electric-blue lobster has been saved from the dinner table after it was spotted at a fish market and rehomed.
The striking crustacean was found by stunned fishermen off the east coast of Scotland and displayed for sale at a fish market in London.
However, fishmonger Rex Goldsmith thought the stunning lobster was too nice to eat and bought it before handing it over to researchers at the Natural History Museum.



Scientists at the museum believe the European lobster, traditionally a much darker shade of blue, hatched out with the unusual colour due to a rare genetic variant.
It has now been given to the London Aquarium and will be on display once it has been through quarantine.
Rex, 45, was buying supplies for his shop, The Chelsea Fishmonger, when he saw the lobster at Billingsgate Market.
He said: 'It's the most striking blue lobster I have seen in my 30 years in the business and was too nice to put in a pot and boil.
'I had a word with the seller and we both agreed on how nice it looked. He sold it to me for 10 pounds, which is the normal price for a lobster that size.

'I then rang up the museum and they came round to pick it up. It's beautiful and I can't wait to take the kids to see it at the aquarium.'
The museum confirmed the species of lobster as the European, or common lobster, Homarus gammarus, which is native in the UK.
Museum scientists prepared a temporary tank for the lobster, pumping air through sea water, to help revive the animal.
The European lobster is closely related to the American lobster, Homarus americanus, but is smaller and less aggressive.
It can live to over 15 years in the wild. However, the species is heavily fished commercially so it rarely reaches this age.
They have huge claws - the larger is known as the 'crusher' claw, and the other, more slender, the 'cutter' claw.
As well as being native to the UK, the species is found from Norway into the Mediterranean as far east as Crete, and farther south in the Azores and on Atlantic coast of Morocco.
Lobsters are crustaceans, like shrimp, crabs and and smaller creatures such as the microscopic copepods.
They have rigid external skeletons that they shed periodically to enable them to grow into a new and larger skin.
The Museum looks after a crustacea collection, which ranges from crabs, krill and shrimp, to 27,000 jars of plankton samples.
Scientists use the specimens to investigate a wide range of topics such as ocean biodiversity and environmental change.
Preserving the colour of spectacular specimens like this electric-blue lobster is not always guaranteed as the alcohol used in the process will bleach away the colour after a few years.

[Lee]

Wonder if it tastes like the red variety

[Karma]

Glad they saved him.

[myss)(phit]

AAAAAND special thanks to PIXAR i now think this lobster knew he was special and feels he/she's in it's rightful place, on display

[5umguy24]

wow that's a cool looking lobster.

[Pogrom]

University of Michigan's new mascot?

[kellyhound]

looks cool

[Blewvane]

I knew the water up there was cold, but this???

[Mr.Goodbar]

They should try and breed this guy!!!

Come one you tasty red lobster bitches and suck up some blue monster lobster baby batter

[BigFoot]

So you mean...all the crawfish I caught as a kid that were blue, then bashed their heads open and used them as fishbait was probably not a good idea in hindsight eh?