Missouri woman catches rare golden crappie

foxnews.com:

A Missouri woman snagged a rare catch while going fishing with her family. Holly Haddan’s once-in-a-lifetime catch was identified by officials as a golden crappie, which is born with a genetic condition that makes its scales a shiny, vibrant yellow color.

Holly Haddan found an extremely rare golden crappie fish in her private pond on Wednesday.  (Missouri Department of Conservation) In a Facebook post, the Missouri Department of Conservation shared a picture of the unique fish.The department said the vibrant golden color is caused by a genetic condition called xanthochroism.

Xanthochroism causes yellow or orange pigmentation in animals, similar to how albinism causes a lack of pigment, according to the department.The genetic condition can occur in a variety of animals, not only fish. "It was definitely a shock to reel it in." Haddan wrote in a comment.

The angler noted how it was particularly surprising because she found the rare golden crappie in her private pond near Springfield, Missouri.