The scene is striking. Thousands of penis fish have been found on Drakes Beach, north of San Francisco, California. This phenomenon would be the consequence of a storm, reports the site Bay Nature. This is not the first time such an event has occurred. According to the site, the phenomenon has been observed in other beaches in the region, always after storms.
These fish are actually worms, shaped like penises. Their scientific name is Urechis unicinctus. These worms "build U-shaped burrows in the muddy sand of the mudflats", according to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, specifies the HuffPost. They can live up to 25 years. They are used in Chinese cuisine, in Korea and in northern Japan.
They are rarer in the United States than in Japan. According to the Daily Mail, these worms are very vulnerable due to their small size. "They have many threats, including otters, shark gulls and humans - but experts say they are harmless, passive creatures," the site writes.
