Migliaia di pesci pene invadono la spiaggia della California

I pesci pene riversati sulla spiaggia: foto

Dopo una serie di forti tempeste che hanno colpito il nord della California, su una spiaggia a nord di San Francisco sono state ritrovate migliaia di creature rosa, pulsanti e a forma fallica. Si tratta di vermi marini, comunemente chiamati “Pesci pene“.

Le foto diffuse dalla rivista scientifica Bay Nature mostrano una distesa di pesci pene riversati sulla spiaggia Drakes Beach. Queste vermi marini in genere si nascondono sotto la sabbia, ma le recenti tempeste hanno spazzato via gli strati di sabbia appunto, lasciandoli esposti.

Come si vede dalle immagini, i gabbiani si divertono a divorare i pesci pene, così come le lontre, gli squali e le razze. Ma il pesce pene è anche una prelibatezza per gli esseri umani. L’animale marino viene mangiato crudo in Giappone e soprattutto in Corea. Nella cucina cinese, invece, viene soffritto con verdure, oppure essiccato e ridotto in polvere, usato come condimento.

 

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SHOOK 😳 Thousands of these marine worms—called fat innkeeper worms, or “penis fish”—were found on Drake’s Beach last week! These phallic organisms are quite common along the West coast of North America, but they spend their whole lives in U-shaped burrows under the sand, so few beachgoers are aware of their existence. ⛈🌊 A recent storm in Northern California brought strong waves that washed away several feet of sand from the intertidal zone, leaving all these fat innkeeper worms exposed on the surface. 🏖 Next time you go to the beach, just think about the hundreds of 10-inch, pink sausages wiggling around just a few feet under the sand. 🙃 . . Get the full story in our new #AsktheNaturalist with @california_natural_history via link in bio! (📸: Beach photo courtesy David Ford; Worm photo by Kate Montana via iNaturalist)

Un post condiviso da Bay Nature Magazine (@baynaturemagazine) in data: 11 Dic 2019 alle ore 11:58 PST

 

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The Korean name for this curious creature is gaebul, which translates as “dog dick.” Here in the States, it’s known as the fat innkeeper worm or the penis fish. Its scientific binomial is Urechis caupo, or “viper tail tradesman.” Whatever you call the animal, you can find them in abundance at Bodega Bay, where they build burrows in the tidal mud flats. On Saturday afternoon, our small, but enthusiastic clamming/crabbing crew thrust shovels and shoulder-deep arms into that mud in pursuit of Pacific gaper clams (Tresus nuttallii), but we also pulled up at least twenty of these red rockets. We returned them to their subterranean homes – excepting those that were snatched by eager herring gulls. I learned later that the gulls were the smarter hunters; fat innkeepers are edible, and are even considered a delicacy in Korea. Still, even though we missed out on a prime opportunity to dine on dog dick, we had a successful, fun outing, encountering a number of curious species, some of which now reside my belly. ⊙ What you’re looking at here: • Fat innkeeper worm (Urechis caupo) • A ring of prominent setae on the butt end of the fat innkeeper worm (Urechis caupo) • Bay ghost shrimp (Neotrypaea californiensis) • Lewis’s moon snail (Euspira lewisii) • Bucket filled w/ Pacific gaper clams or “horsenecks” (Tresus nuttallii), white macoma or “sand clams” (Macoma secta), and Lewis’s moon snails • Red rock crabs (Cancer productus) back in the kitchen, icing after boiling ๑ ๑ ๑ ๑ ๑ #BodegaBay #gaebul #FatInnkeeperWorm #UrechisCaupo #BayGhostShrimp #NeotrypaeaCaliforniensis #LewissMoonSnail #EuspiraLewisii #PacificGgaperClam #TresusNuttallii #RedRockCrab #CancerProductus #crabbing #clamming #huntergatherer #SonomaCounty #California #naturalhistory

Un post condiviso da Christopher Reiger (@christopherreiger) in data: 18 Feb 2019 alle ore 9:20 PST