ZOOLOGY-ANIMALS: Why thousands of ‘penis fish’ appeared on a beach

Urechis unicinctus or penis fish in South Korea  (INQUIRER.net Stock Photo)

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California residents were shocked to find thousands of sausage-like creatures cover a beach after a storm. Little did they know that the species of spoonworm had been just beneath their feet all along.

The phallic worm is better known as, well, penis fish. For those who would rather not make mention of genitalia, it is also called fat innkeeper worm.

The marine worm makes U-shaped burrows in a beach or mudflat, leaving most beachgoers unaware of their existence. However, a storm that hit Drakes Beach in California last Dec. 6 washed away sand and revealed the penis fish, reported Bay Nature on Tuesday, Dec. 10.

The magazine shared pictures of the worms on its Instagram to show the stranding on the beach, as well as how it looks up close.

The creatures — more commonly known as fat innkeeper worms — covered Drakes Beach, 50 miles north of San Francisco.

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There are only four species of the worms, which are also called penis fish or fat innkeeper worms. The species in North America is the Urechis caupo, which is about 10 inches long.

Its counterpart in South Korea, the Urechis unicinctus, is eaten raw; it is called gaebul. The spoonworm is a detritivore, meaning it eats detritus like plankton and bacteria.

 

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Urechis unicinctus or penis fish in South Korea  (INQUIRER.net Stock Photo)

 

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Were it not for the storm, the pink worm would have stayed underground, away from the eyes of humans who might wonder why sexual organs are pulsing in the sand. Niña V. Guno /ra

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