Thousand of bizarre 'penis fish' have washed up on a beach in northern California, likely due to the weather.
Experts believe the phallic creatures, known as fat innkeeper worms, were forced out of their underwater burrows and dumped on Drakes Beach by recent storms.
The beach was covered with the pink worms - which can grow to almost a foot long - as seagulls scooped them up from the sands north of San Francisco.
'Penis fish' are a delicacy in East Asia, where they are eaten raw with salt and sesame oil, grilled or stir-fried with vegetables, and they are also used as fishing bait.
The creatures dig U-shaped burrows within beaches or mudflats. The tunnels are left behind for other sea life to move in, hence its "innkeeper" name.
Biologist Ivan Parr came across the strange scene at Drakes Beach on December 6 after a storm hit the region.
He wrote for Bay Nature: "You could be forgiven for being offended by the above photo: thousands of 10-inch wiggly pink sausages strewn about Drakes Beach.
"The same phenomenon has been reported over the years at Pajaro Dunes, Moss Landing, Bodega Bay, and Princeton Harbor.
"I’ve heard my share of imaginative theories from beachcombers, such as flotsam of a wrecked bratwurst freighter.
"In truth, these are living denizens of our beaches rudely, yet also mercifully, mostly called 'fat innkeeper worms'."
The 'penis fish' slide out of their burrows and produce a sticky mucous net when the tide is in.
The 'slime nets' look like decaying jellyfish in the water and extend from the chimney of the burrow to the worm's mouth, Mr Parr wrote.
The worms use their bodies to pump water through the burrow, sucking in plankton, bacteria and other small particles to eat.
The bizarre but harmless creatures can live for up to 25 years and spend most of their lives on the sea floor.
Researchers have found U-shaped burrows dating back 300 million years.
