Every time videos of geoducks surface, the internet reacts quite strongly. These fascinating molluscs are native to the Canadian and Northwestern Pacific coasts, but are extremely popular all over the world – as street food in Japan, a delicacy in China (a single geoduck can sell for up to sixty dollars in Hongkong) or as fine dining in America and other parts of the world. Extremely expensive as well, geoducks can cost more per pound than abalone (one of the most expensive shellfish out there).

Arguably the strangest looking addition to a plate, they burrow deep and are hard to poach. To add to their intrigue, geoducks can live up to 150 years, buried in sand and doing not much more than stretching out their siphons to feed on plankton. What’s more, their fleshy inner siphons can grow up to four metres, while their hard shell cover can be as big as a football.

The internet’s fascination with the geoduck is never-ending. Whether it’s geoduck “reaction” videos of first time eaters, or footage of their thick, blood-filled siphons being cleaned – something about this mollusk captivates (and disgusts) many. Perhaps a creature so beautiful, gentle and introverted should be left to its quiet aquatic existence instead of being coveted as fine-dining.