# Please help identify marine animal

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-identify-marine-animal/572847>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 27, 2011, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-identify-marine-animal/572847 "2011-02-27T22:13:41Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Fish\_Cheer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fish_cheer/32/17179_2.png) [@Fish\_Cheer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fish_Cheer)\
**Post date:** [February 27, 2011, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-identify-marine-animal/572847/1 "2011-02-27T22:13:41Z")

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I saw this in an aquarium the other day: [http://i.imgur.com/yw2SP.jpg](http://i.imgur.com/yw2SP.jpg) Unfortunately, it wasn’t listed on the sign next to the tank, and there was nobody around I could ask. Any ideas? Some kind of sea urchin, maybe?

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**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\
**Post date:** [February 27, 2011, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-identify-marine-animal/572847/2 "2011-02-27T22:45:32Z")

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[Sea mouse](http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&source=imghp&biw=1024&bih=591&q=sea+mouse&gbv=2&aq=f&aqi=g2g-m1&aql=&oq=), perhaps?

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**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\
**Post date:** [February 27, 2011, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-identify-marine-animal/572847/3 "2011-02-27T23:24:31Z")

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It’s a polychaete worm, in the same phylum but a different class than earthworms and leeches. The sea mouse (per **Sailboat** ’s post and link) or a close relative would be my guess.

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**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\
**Post date:** [February 28, 2011, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-identify-marine-animal/572847/4 "2011-02-28T05:28:25Z")

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Cool! Never heard of them before: [Aphrodita - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_mouse)

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**Author:** ![Fish\_Cheer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fish_cheer/32/17179_2.png) [@Fish\_Cheer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fish_Cheer)\
**Post date:** [February 28, 2011, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-identify-marine-animal/572847/5 "2011-02-28T18:10:36Z")

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And they _do_ look strange when upside down. Thanks, guys.