The priapulida is one of the most bizarre sea creatures ever to wash ashore on any beach, anywhere. Due to its likeness to the phallus, the unsegmented worm was named after the Greek god Priapus, who represents “male generative power.” It isn’t seen all that often because it lives on the bottom of the ocean.
According to Australian freediver Josie Jones, who came across one of the worms “on the sea floor off Rye Front Beach in Victoria,” 160 species of the creature live under the beach’s pier. The worms’ resemblance to the phallus is even more emphatic when they discharge their “eggs and sperm into the sea.”
For the fun of it, Jones posted a photograph of the priapulida on Facebook, which occasioned a lot of jokes, mostly of the sophomoric variety. Even comedian Mark Normand got into the act, commenting, “Ladies, if you aren’t satisfied at home, remember there are plenty of fish in the sea.”
