Locals were stunned to wake up one morning and find their beaches littered with “penis fish” as far as the eye could see.
Oodles of the odd creatures recently washed up after a storm and rough seas battered the Atlantic coastline.
Some specimens were still writhing on the sand in Comodoro Rivadavia, Puerto Madryn and other seaside towns in Argentina’s Chubut Province.
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A dog-walking resident who filmed the unusual scenes also came across another bizarre creature – a furry, shiny “sea mouse”.
The penis fish (Urechis unicinctus) is not, in fact, a fish at all, but a species of marine spoon worm, as reported by Need To Know.
It inhabits shallow waters and builds U-shaped burrows in seabed sand, with small chimney-like openings acting as entrances.
It can reach up to 25cm (10 inches) in length, and its elastic body allows it to dig tunnels where it filters its food – plankton and bacteria.
When currents shift abruptly or storm surges disturb the sediment, the worms are exposed and washed up onto the shore.
The recent events came as a surprise partly because the species is far more commonly found in the Pacific Ocean, particularly in waters around China.
In China and Korea, penis fish is eaten raw and lightly seasoned with salt, sesame oil or red chilli paste, while in Japan it is served as sashimi.
The second find was no less unusual.
The sea mouse (Aphrodita aculeata) is a marine polychaete worm covered in bristles that give it a furry appearance, resembling a small rodent.
It lives on sandy or muddy seabeds, usually hidden beneath the surface. For it to be washed ashore and seen by humans is uncommon.
Mass strandings of penis fish have previously been reported along Argentina’s Atlantic coast in 2021 and again in 2023.
However, the appearance of a penis fish and a sea mouse together on Argentine beaches is considered an extremely rare occurrence.
Many locals returned the stranded creatures – which die if left exposed outside the water for too long – back to the sea.
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