Mystery as thousands of ten-inch ‘penis fish’ wash up on a beach sparking frenzy among locals to gather them up
LOCALS have been given the willies after thousands of “Penis Fish” washed up on a beach in South America.
The rude-looking marine creatures appeared after a heavy storm hit Rio Grande, Argentina.
Local fisherman have grabbed the odd looking creatures to use as bait for sea bass.
The pink wrigglers were about 10 inches in length, and are called Urechis Unicinctus, but they are also dubbed the “Penis Fish” due to their phallic appearance.
Despite their fish nickname, the creatures are actually a type of spoon worm.
They create U-shaped burrows in sand or mud that are then left for other animals to move into.
They are eaten by sharks and seagulls, but are often brought to the surface from their underground homes after strong storms.
The worms are able to live up to 25 years, and are a common delicacy in South Korea, Japan and China.
They are eaten raw or cooked in a variety of styles – and those who eat them say they’re surprisingly sweet.
Those who indulge in the delicacy are partial to grilling them, and the worms are said to have aphrodisiac properties.
Adding salt, pepper and sesame oil seasoning is a popular way to season the odd worms.
And like many things, it’s a case of the bigger the better when it comes to penis-fish because irregular thickness can indicate lower quality.
The worm creatures washed up in the thousands on a California beach in 2019, shocking residents.
In 2020, visitors to an aquarium were shocked to see a “penis fish” swimming about in the tank.
Stephanie Walen, 32, spotted a type of rock fish – which at a certain angle looks like external human male genitalia – at the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport, Oregon.
“People were so flabbergasted and some quite mortified by my photos, I had thousands of people asking whether its a penis or a c**kfish,” Stephanie said.
Thousands of people have reached out to Stephanie after she shared to photos to the internet – as many are shocked by the shape of the fish.
Meanwhile in China, a man who went skinny dipping was filmed having a fish removed from his todger after it clamped onto his manhood.
The man looks mildly unhappy not – but nearly as upset as he would be if the creature had teeth of any kind.