Popular Science15%
Super rare orange lobster molts at New York Aquarium 27%
By Laura Baisas11%
7/7/2026, 9:04:00 AM
BS Summary: This article contains 20 faulty reasoning types, including Biased Writer Voice, Post Hoc (False Cause), and Status Quo Bias, with Appeal to Authority as the most egregious example at 13.5% saturation with 58 hits. Analysis detected 634 faulty-reasoning hits from 430 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 38.1% and a BS Rank of 27% (16,140 of 21,887 articles). This article is better (less manipulative) than 73.70% of the article peer group.
For Luigi the lobster, it was simply time to grow.
Literally.
The spineless American lobster (Homarus americanus) recently molted—when a crustacean sheds its outer shell—in front of visitors to the New York Aquarium in Brooklyn.
Luigi is an unusual shade of orange that is only seen in one in 30 million American lobsters.
“On the morning in question, keeper staff discovered a molt in Luigi’s habitat,” William Hana, the Director of Animal Programs at New York Aquarium, tells Popular Science.
“Based on our experience, molts typically occur during the evening hours and may continue overnight.
Following the molt, Luigi displayed the bright coloration characteristic of a newly formed shell.”
During molting, crustaceans take in excess water.
The water then pushes against the shell, and splits it.
The lobster then takes the rest of its body out like taking a foot out of a shoe, as it sheds its old outer shell.
A shiny new softshell then emerges as the animal’s exoskeleton.
That new shell is soft and paper-thin, so crustaceans are more vulnerable after molting.
Since Luigi was housed alone at the time, he did not have to worry about predators or aggressive behavior from other animals.
Young lobsters tend to molt multiple times per year because they are growing more rapidly.
Once they reach adulthood, lobsters tend to molt annually.
Molting rates can vary between lobsters under human care like Luigi and those in the wild.
Since aquarium lobsters live in a protected habitat with consistent feedings, they are typically able to devote more energy to growing instead of foraging and avoiding predators.
However, one food source is consistent no matter where a lobster lives.
“Lobsters frequently consume their shed exoskeleton after molting,” Hana says.
“This behavior allows them to reclaim calcium and other essential minerals needed to harden their new, soft shell.
For this reason, our staff typically leave the shed shell in the habitat for several days following a molt so the animal has the opportunity to feed on it.”
American lobsters are typically a dark-blue green or greenish-brown color, but Luigi’s rare orange hue makes him look a little more like a lobster you may encounter on a dinner plate.
He gets his color from a genetic mutation caused by the lack of proteins that help bond the pigments in his shell.
The chances of finding an orange lobster like Luigi in the wild are about one in 30 million.
He can also be viewed near a rare blue lobster (one in 200 million).
Happy growing, crustaceans!
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1speaker13%attributed speech374writer words
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100%flagged-word coverageWilliam Hana
56 attributed words100% of attributed speech87% writer coverage
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