Sea pork. It sounds like something you’d find in a pirate’s pantry or a mermaid’s fridge. But believe it or not, sea pork is real – and it’s not something you’d want to eat. Well, most probably.

This sea pork (Aplidium stellatum) washed ashore near Destin, Florida. Image credit: Rebekah D. Wallace

While visiting Bald Point State Park over Thanksgiving weekend in 2014, Karen Parker, who works as a coordinator for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), continuously stumbled upon peculiar stuff on the beach. Hundreds of little, purple, pimply things that resembled earlobes or miniature kidneys were scattered around.

Additionally, there were other items she could not identify, such as a blood clot-like object partially covered in sand, a flattened breast implant-like item, and a fragment of what looked like rubber that has developed lime-green fur.

Blood clot? A piece of pork liver? Aplidium californicum looks like both. Image credit: Gretchen Lambert

She grabbed a stick and prodded the weird objects before taking photographs to forward to her colleagues. “I was on the beach texting folks, going, ‘What the heck is this?’” Parker told Atlas Obscura.

Despite not receiving an immediate response, she discovered the answer to her inquiry at the Gulf Specimen Marine Lab Aquarium located nearby. Photographs displayed near the touch tank confirmed that the little purple lobes were sea pansies, a type of coral, and the other peculiar objects were known as “sea pork.”

“Sea Pork” refers to some species of fleshy-looking tunicates, including Amaroucium californicum. Image credit: Jerry Kirkhart

Sea pork is a type of tunicate, also known as a sea squirt. These creatures are found in oceans all over the world, and they come in a variety of colors and shapes. Some tunicates are shaped like tubes, while others look like blobs or lumpy sacks.

But the tunicates known as Aplidium californicum, Aplidium solidum, and Aplidium stellatum are especially interesting because of their resemblance to a certain kind of meat. That’s right – sea pork looks a lot like real pork, at least in terms of its color and texture.

Pork? Or maybe chicken? Aplidium stellatum definitely looks like it. Image credit: Andrea Westmoreland

Now, I know what you’re thinking: “Sea pork? That sounds disgusting!” And you’re not wrong. These tunicates might look a little bit like bacon or ham, but they definitely don’t taste like it.

That said, some tunicate relatives of sea pork are considered a delicacy in South Korea, where they are known as ‘meongge’. There, they are specifically farmed, peeled, and consumed fresh and raw, and reportedly have a chewy texture (wow, what a surprise!). However, if you come across any sea pork lingering on the shore, it is highly recommended that you avoid consuming it.

Potatoes? Truffles? Strawberries? Aplidium solidum also looks food-like. Image credit: Alex Heyman / Alex Bairstow

Regardless of its taste, sea pork is actually a pretty important part of the ocean’s ecosystem. They help to filter the water, removing harmful toxins and pollutants, and they have done so for millions of years.

They and other tunicates exhibit a diverse range of shapes (such as barrels, bottles, and balls), textures (from brain-like to pockmarked putty), and colors ranging from bologna-pink to bloody liver purple, or even the creamy beige of roast turkey.

Breast implants? No, sea pork. Image credit: Karen Parker/Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

In the case of most tunicates, the color you’re seeing is actually a slimy outfit, a viscous “tunic,” that a colony of tiny creatures called zooids “wear.” Although a few tunicates are solitary, and others float freely in open water, most of these organisms join their forces and anchor themselves to the seabed, typically no deeper than 660 feet (200 meters), in their protective sac. As babies, they locate one another, group together, and live out their lives feeding inside their gooey housing cooperative. Those that wash up on beaches are typically uprooted from their dwellings during storms.

On this image, you can clearly see the individual organisms called zooids that make up the sea pork (Aplidium stellatum). Image credit: James St. John

Sea pork has been confusing beachgoers for generations, and for over a century, scientists and others have endeavored to dispel misunderstandings about this unusual marine creature. Given their appearance, it’s no wonder that they provoke morbid thoughts: when dead, they resemble bloated cutlets or waterlogged livers, leading to concerns that gruesome body parts may be washed ashore by the waves. Observers have even often mistaken them for tar balls originating from an offshore oil spill.

But whether you find them fascinating or revolting, there’s no denying that these creatures are a unique and important part of the ocean’s biodiversity. And we must thank them for keeping the water clean.

Sources: 1, 2, 3