Rare golden tiger prawn discovered in Vietnam’s Ca Mau

Tran Thanh Truc on Friday shared that her family had recently caught a rare bright yellow tiger prawn and decided to post it on social media to let others see it. 

The family also chose to keep the prawn alive and raise it.

Truc recounted that they came across the tiger prawn on Tuesday. 

The prawn weighed about 50 grams and had a shiny golden hue, different from the typical brown, gray, or dark green shades of regular tiger prawns.

What made it even more unique was that it had three antennae, while tiger prawns usually have only two.

"Seeing how strange it looked, I decided to keep it in a tank to observe it for fun and shared it on social media to see if anyone else had encountered such a prawn," Truc said.

Many social media users commented that the prawn might feature a rare genetic mutation.

Some noted that prawns with such mutations are often difficult to keep alive, with a few suggesting that it should be released back into the wild. 

Others believed it should be kept and raised, as the golden color symbolizes good luck.

An official from the agriculture and environment unit in Dam Doi District noted that while green or yellow crabs and pale yellow white-leg shrimp have been seen before, a golden tiger prawn is extremely rare. 

It is likely that the prawn experienced a pigmentation mutation.