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🧬 Biological Classification (Kingdom to Species)Urechis unicinctus

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Annelida

Class

Polychaeta

Order

Echiuroidea

Family

Urechidae

Genus

Urechis

Species

Urechis unicinctus

Polychaeta❔ Diet unknown

Spoon worm

Urechis unicinctus (Spoon worm · ユムシ)

🛡️ Conservation Status (IUCN Red List)NE (Not Evaluated)

Not Evaluated (NE) on the IUCN Red List yet.

Geological Era

Extant

Diet

No data

Length · Height

15cm · No data

Mass · Top Speed

No data · No data

Habitat & Fossil Locality

Sandy-mud bottoms from the lower intertidal zone to depths of around 10 m (in U-shaped burrows), in Korea, China, Japan, and Russia

💡 Everyday Comparisons for Size, Mass & Speed

💡 Its length of 15 cm is similar to that of a ballpoint pen (about 14 cm) (Comparison).
💡 It is eaten in Korea, China, and Japan and consumed most heavily in Korea. When water temperatures turn cold, boats drag dredges across muddy bottoms to catch it, with large catches along the south coast (National List of Species of Korea).

Reference standards: coach bus ~12 m, mid-size car ~4.9 m, compact car ~1 t, basketball hoop 3.05 m, credit card 8.56 cm.

#개불#Urechis unicinctus

📖 1. Overview

The spoon worm is an echiuran worm that digs U-shaped burrows in tidal flats and is eaten in Korea, China, and Japan. Worldwide, it is best known in Korea.

🦴 2. Anatomy & Morphology

It has a cylindrical body about 15 cm long whose size changes greatly depending on how much it contracts. Its body color is apricot or reddish milky-white, with small papillae on the skin.

🔍 3. Ecology & Behavior

It digs U-shaped burrows in sandy-mud bottoms from the lower intertidal zone to depths of around 10 m. Sexes are separate, and the breeding season is known to be December–January (or March–April). In summer it retreats more than 1 m deep into its burrow, rising again when water temperatures drop.

🇰🇷 4. Connection to Korea

It is listed on the National List of Species of Korea and is distributed from the central west coast southward—including Taean in Chungcheongnam-do, Dolsando in Jeollanam-do, Geojedo, and Pohang in Gyeongsangbuk-do—as well as along the south coast and the southern East Sea. It is consumed most in Korea, and live spoon worms have recently been imported from China.