Le immagini che arrivano dalla costa Ovest degli Stati Uniti sono inequivocabili. Migliaia e migliaia di “penis fish” rosa adagiati sulla sabbia. No, non è una bufala ma una risposta della natura al ‘sesso ascellare’ del Fatto Quotidiano.

Sono vermoni compatti e solidi lunghi tra i 4 e 5 centimetri che hanno invaso una spiaggia della California del nord, circa un centinaio di chilometri a nord di San Francisco.

Si tratta di grassi vermi marini che però sono chiamati penis fish, per la forma fallica. In genere queste creature si nascondono sotto la sabbia, proprio sotto i piedi dei bagnanti, ma le recenti tempeste avvenute nella zona hanno provocato altissime onde che a loro volta hanno spazzato via diversi strati di sabbia, esponendo i penis fish al sole. Dalle foto appare sui social si vedono diversi gabbiani cibarsi avidamente di questi vermoni, così come ne vanno ghiotte le lontre, oppure gli squali e le razze. In Corea del Sud ne fanno scorpacciate e lo chiamano gaebul.

Ma si sa, i ‘gialli’ sono strani.

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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

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— Francesca Totolo (@francescatotolo) December 13, 2019

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