Pyura Chilensis: One of the most striking sea creatures on the Chilean coast!

Today, we are covering one of the most intriguing oceanic animals that has left a lasting impression on me since I first discovered it. The Pyura chilensis is a sea creature that, from far away, resembles a rock you might see adrift in the deep ocean. However, this is far from the case, and if you went closer, you'd see an active and intricate organism. This animal is called a tunicate, or sea squirt, a marine animal that attains a strong, supple frame, commonly attaching to rocks or other similar surfaces through its posterior (backend).

Sea squirts use fascinating holes called siphons that take in water from the ocean, and when passing through the structure, they can attain nourishment through strong food that is drawn and also draw in oxygen to support themselves. What is even more captivating is that tunicates are more closely related to humans than sea sponges are! Their taxonomic group, Tunicata, is a subphylum of Chordata, which includes all bony animals, or all animals with notochords.

Moreover, when cut open, the Pyura chilensis reveals its mesmerizing scarlet flesh, which contains several heavy metals such as vanadium, iron, and titanium due to bioaccumulation, a process in which pollutants gradually build up in the flesh of various organisms. Despite its odd appearance, this creature is commonly eaten & exported for human consumption. Due to the flesh being so high in vanadium, there are health concerns about consuming Pyura chilensis excessively, and there is ongoing research on the safety of consumption.

The Pyura chilensis has more fascinating features to offer; one is that it can reproduce by itself! The tunicate is born a male, forms female organs as it grows, and then to reproduce, it can release sperm from its male reproductive organs. When both sperm and eggs reach one another, they produce new Pyura chilensis in the form of tadpole-like larvae, which then repeat the process. 

From SeaLifeBase.com, the Pyura chilensis prefers temperatures around 12° Celsius (53.6° Fahrenheit). and a depth of around zero to two hundred meters (0 to 656.168 feet). Additionally, they inhabit “the low intertidal down to the subtidal along the Chilean and Peruvian coast”, meaning the lower areas of the coastline which are usually more covered with water. This is especially useful to soft-bodied organisms such as the Pyura chilensis, in order to prevent desiccation, also known as drying out.

The Pyura chilensis is truly one of the most interesting sea creatures that the ocean has to offer!

A gorgeous photograph of the Pyura Chilensis, displaying its vibrant ruby flesh. Credit to wildlife photographer Arvid Puschnig. 

Directories / Credits

“Pyura Chilensis  Molina, 1782.” Pyura Chilensis, Edible Sea Squirt : Fisheries, www.sealifebase.se/summary/Pyura-chilensis.html. Accessed 13 Aug. 2025. 

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