Is it a mutant or, as it has been stated, a case of a bad diet?
A shipment of Red king crabs, native to the Bering Sea, arrived at a port in Hokkaido, Japan, from Russia.
When wholesalers at Marusan Mikami opened up the haul, they found one was a rich lavender color all over.
Marusan Mikami President Kenetsu Mikami told Hokkaido Doshin: “I’ve been dealing with crabs for 25 years, but this is the first time to see that color. It could be a good omen.”
That is perhaps an optimistic view, but experts at a research center in Hokkaido suggested the cause of the crab’s color was “the effect of its diet or possibly a mutation causing a lack of pigment.”
The lavender colored crab has been kept alive – who would be game enough to eat it?- and put it on display at Marusan Mikami. It has a leg span of about three feet and weighs about 8 pounds.
The color has sparked debate on the internet with the effects of radiation stated as the likely source of the discoloration on more than one occasion.
This story originally appeared on News.com.au.