It is often depicted as a character in comics, movies and television because its form and ecology are so unique and humorous, and because it has a characteristic of becoming bright red when boiled (it is frequently portrayed as a figure with a hachimaki headband wrapped around its torso).
その形態、生態がきわめて特徴的でユーモラスでもあり、また茹でると真っ赤になるなどの性質から、よく漫画や映画、テレビでキャラクター化される（しばしば胴体に鉢巻を巻いた姿で描かれる）。