TSA finds massive 20-pound lobster in checked luggage

June 27 (UPI) -- Transportation Security Administration officials in Boston shared a photo of a massive lobster found alive in a passenger's checked baggage.

TSA spokesman Michael McCarthy tweeted a photo showing the roughly 20-pound lobster held by a TSA agent at Logan International Airport during the weekend.

"TSA officers are skilled at screening all sorts of items in checked baggage...including this 20+ pound lobster at Boston Logan," McCarthy tweeted.

He said the TSA allows for live lobsters to be transported in checked luggage.

"I cannot speak to any airline policies, but TSA has no prohibition on transporting lobsters," McCarthy told the Boston Globe. "It's actually fairly common in the New England region."

The TSA's website states "a live lobster is allowed through security and must be transported in a clear, plastic, spill-proof container."

McCarthy said the lobster in the passenger's cooler was unusually large.

"It's certainly the largest lobster I have ever seen," McCarthy said. "And I'd be surprised if we've ever screened a larger lobster."

He said the crustacean was "alive and cooperated quite nicely with the screening process."