Rare Blue-Colored Red King Crab Caught in Alaska

July 19, 2014— -- A rare blue-colored red king crab caught in Alaska has been returned to its owner after a brief stint as a popular tourist attraction.

The bright blue crab was at the Norton Sound Seafood Center for two weeks where it was visited almost every day by people wanting to pose with it and take photos, an employee for the center told ABC News.

Frank McFarland, the Alaska fisherman who caught the crab earlier this month, has taken the crab, the employee said. He was keeping the crab at the center until he could mount it, according to The Associated Press.

It is extremely unusual for red king crabs to be blue. Scott Kent, of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game in Nome, told the AP that blue crabs turn up "once in a blue moon." He suspects the crab's unusual coloring is the result of a mutation.

McFarland could not be reached for comment.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.