Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Mystery Meat

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I'm ashamed that my marine biology skills fall short of being able to identify the sea creature in this photo from an asian market. Any ideas?

I got the picture from the Professional Windsurfing Association website. The PWA is having a slalom racing competion now in Ulsan, South Korea.
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5 comments:

  1. Ian BergerMay 13, 2008 at 6:29 PM

    Aren't those some kind of sea cucumber? They look more like like sea t*rds, but this would be my best guess. I don't have a major in marine biology, but I do know a think or two about ocean life. Also, sea cucumbers are a regular ingredient in sushi, so it would make sense that they're on the market.

    -Ian Berger

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  2. James DouglassMay 13, 2008 at 7:14 PM

    Ok, I think I've solved the mystery. They are apparently "priapulid" worms, aka "penis worms", which constitute a unique and primitive phyla of their own. I'd heard of priapulids before, but had no idea people ate them.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Priapulid

    In Korea they call them "kaebul", which means something like "penis worm".

    This short video (not filmed by marine biologists) shows the kaebul in action.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84psWA16Oe4

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  3. Catapulting AaronMay 14, 2008 at 8:47 AM

    I was going to say Geoduck, go figure...

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  4. James DouglassMay 14, 2008 at 9:59 AM

    Ian and Aaron- Both sea cucumber and geoduck are good guesses. The geoduck (very large, long-necked clams) is close to my heart because I grew up next to The Evergreen State College where it was the mascot. They even had a catchy folksong about them called "dig a duck"...

    http://www.cooperativeadventures.com/clients/gducks.htm

    Charming.

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  5. Lane AutryOctober 30, 2013 at 9:41 AM

    Those are ANIMAL DICKS!!!

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