Lobsterman in Maine catches rare ‘cotton candy lobster’

(CNN/WAVY) — Lightning strikes twice for a lobsterman in Maine — he caught a one in 100 million lobster for the second time!

John McInnes found a purple, blue and pink speckled lobster in one of his traps last week.

Those colors give this particular variation the nick-name “cotton candy lobster.”

McInnes says he caught the same exact crustacean last October, but he threw it back because it was too small to keep.

This time, he’s hanging onto it, but he doesn’t plan to sell it. He’s got it in a holding tank while he looks for an aquarium to donate it to.

Genetic mutations can cause a variety of unusual colors in lobsters including blue, yellow, orange and white.

They’re all pretty rare, and finding adult lobsters with these colors is even less common because the bright colors make them easier targets for predators.