European lobsters are usually brown/black, but occasionally lobsters are blue (approx. 1 per 1000). Lobsters can also have other color deviations, and one of the rarest combinations is black on one half and orange/red on the other half. In the US, lobsters with this color combination are called "Halloween lobsters". There is little research on such lobsters, but it is assumed that 1 in every 50 million may have this color. The genetic abnormality is due to a change in the binding between the protein beta-crustacyanin and the color pigment astaxanthin in the shell. Previous experience with lobsters that have a dual color combination has shown them to be gynandromorphs. This means that the lobster has lost an x-chromosome immediately after fertilization, which can happen in crustaceans and insects. This specimen appears to be female, which makes the lobster even more mysterious.
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