CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – A family spotted and caught a rare blue crawfish at the Clarksville Blueway on Saturday.

Mel Dillard of Clarksville was floating down the Big West Fork Creek of the Red River from Billy Dunlop Park with his family when they decided to take a rest near one of the banks.

Suddenly, Mel’s 11-year-old niece spotted something blue in the water. “I thought it was a fishing lure at first,” Dillard said.

Carefully scooping up the creature, the family was able to see something extremely rare and beautiful. “I’ve been on the river over a dozen times, and I have never seen anything like this,” Dillard said.

The species is extremely rare, according to the National Audubon Society, and the chances of seeing one are about 1 in 10,000.

The family released it back into the river, knowing it’s best to keep it in its natural environment.