Researchers named this type of lobster “Jackie” after it was found by a fisherman in the US state of Massachusetts. According to a video published by the Marine Science Center at Northeastern University on its YouTube channel, Sierra Munoz, the center’s outreach program coordinator, stated that Jackie’s distinctive colors are due to a pigment compound known as astaxanthin.
Munoz pointed out that this compound is what gives most types their red color when cooked, noting that the interaction of this compound with other pigments in different areas of the exoskeleton gives the lobster this rare and distinctive freckled appearance.
She also mentioned that the color trait exhibited by this type is a recessive genetic trait, indicating that this makes the chances of increasing its numbers slim.
