Monster Lobster Bubba Is Spared

(CBS)  "Bubba," a bashful bottom dweller, lived off Nantucket, until he became the catch of the day.

Weighing in at 22 pounds, the

leviathan lobster

could satisfy a family of 14 accustomed to his more typical pound-and-a-half brethren. It's estimated Bubba is 100 years old.

"This is big!" one observer understated.

The XXL crustacean certainly caused a stir when he ended up on display at Wholey's Fish Market in Pittsburgh, Pa., where the curious paid a visit.

"Oh my goodness. Wow!" was typical of the comments.

"People love it," says Wholey's Fish Market owner Bob Wholey.

The activist group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals sent a letter asking for Bubba's timely release. But its less-famous counterpart, People Eating Tasty Animals, reportedly offered a hefty sum to conclude this tale on a sadder note.

So which side won? Let's just say Bubba is destined to end his days in a bath of salt water, not drawn butter.

Bubba is now at the Pittsburgh Zoo's aquarium, where they are making sure he is in good health before they find him a permanent home.

Bubba's not the largest lobster on record. Guinness World Records reports the heaviest marine crustacean as 44 pounds, 6 ounces. That lobster, more than twice Bubba's size, was caught off Nova Scotia in 1977.