A yellow lobster at Great Yarmouth Sea Life Centre is a one-in-thirty-million rarity.She's been living at the attraction for six years but her keepers have only just realised following a similar discovery in America.

A yellow lobster at Great Yarmouth Sea Life Centre is a one-in-thirty-million rarity.

She's been living at the attraction for six years but her keepers have only just realised following a similar discovery in America.

Aquarist Darren Gook was trawling the internet when he came across news of a yellow lobster caught by fisherman David Percy near Whaleback Island, New Hampshire.

“I nearly fell off my chair,” said Darren. “A scientist at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute said the chance of finding one was one in thirty million.

“We knew our lobster was unusual but we had no idea she was that unusual.”

Ironically, the Great Yarmouth lobster was christened Ruby when after a moult a few years ago her new carapace featured a small red patch on the back.

Ruby moulted again just a few weeks ago, however, and emerged more yellow than before.

“She's actually more yellow than the American lobster, which has quite a lot of orange mingled in,” said Darren.

The Sea Life centre is now working on new signage to alert visitors to the newfound jewel amongst its residents, and making Ruby's rarity a feature of the daily talks programme.

“Her size would suggest she's at least 20 years old already,” said Darren, “but lobsters can live to be 100, so she's one rare sea creature that an awful lot of people will hopefully get to see.”