An Australian biologist has share photos of the " penis fish " , and it appears citizenry are Brobdingnagian fans for absolutely mature reasons .
Urechis caupo , well known by its more phallic name for jolly obvious reason , is a metal money of marine spoonworm that spends most of its life burrowed in the lenient sediment of the sea seam . Also known as the " fat innkeeper worm " ( these guy rope keep getting dragged by scientist ) these worm can live under the guts for up to 25 years , listen their own business and feeding on plankton , bacterium , and other small particles that come down into their mucous secretion traps .
They were captured and shared by Josie Jones to theMarine Research Group of the Field Naturalists Club of Victoria .
These strange - front worms create u - shaped tunnel in sand or clay , then secrete a slimy mucusy net that stretches from the entering to its sass to suck up food .
" Using condensation ( peristalsis ) to pump H2O through its tunnel , the insect suck plankton , bacteria , and other flake into this net , " biologist Ivan Parrexplainedin anAsk the Naturalistpiece . " When , like any vacuum cleaner , the net gets clog , the worm slurps it all back into its sass , taking in the particles it need to eat and toss out the rest into the tunnel . "
The animals get the name " innkeeper worm " because other creatures will often move in to the tunnels they have lovingly craft . They get the name " penis fish " because they really , really look like a donger .
A few years ago , walkers on the shores of Drakes Beach , California , were surprised when they found thousands of the Pisces wash up .
The 10 - inchers ( they can even develop to around 30 centimeters in length ) appear to have been disturb , pick up from their quiet lifetime , and strew across a beach for as far as the eye can see in this picture snapped by local resident David Ford .
“ I had no idea what they might be … it belong on for two miles , ” Ford toldVice . " I walked for another half hour and they were spread everywhere . There were gull line up the beach the whole way having eaten so much they could just stand . "
Urechishas four species of penis Pisces . U. caupois the only species that is found in North America ; the other three are witness in Asia , where they are feed as a delicacy .
So , how did they stop up getting dumped on the beach ?
" We ’re seeing the endangerment of build your home out of sand , " Parr tell . " hard violent storm – especially during El Niño years – are absolutely capable of laying beleaguering to the intertidal geographical zone , expose aside the deposit , and leave behind their contents strand on the shore . "
Poor penis fish .
