There are around 2,700 different species of worms. As cool as that seems, they’re still worms. There’s not a lot of people in this planet who think these crawlers are fascinating.
Though they do serve a purpose as hard as that is to accept. So here’s another variation for you to have nightmares about.
The Hammerhead Flatworm.
Unlike the Hammerhead shark, which is cool, this one is a worm with, yep, a hammerhead.
So what’s the deal with these dirt crawlers?
These worms are a real threat. Unlike the shark which people rarely see in person. These worms are an invasive species. Like a bad sci-fi alien movie where weird creatures come to wreak havoc and destroy communities.
Regular earthworms are the good guys. They are good for the soil if you’ve been paying attention back in elementary science class.
Well, these regular earthworms become food for the hammerheads. And that causes lots of problems for farmers, gardeners, and even forests as they depend on earthworms for the soil to thrive.
Eliminate earthworms and that removes the nutrients from the soil.
Just look at these worms. Flat, glossy, and just creepy. They can squeeze into spaces and just literally invade any space they want. Like a poorly written movie, these worms invade and eat what used to live there.
Now as irritating as these worms are, they can actually defend themselves. The nerve.
According to tsusinvasives,
“Bipalium species secrete chemicals through their skin to make themselves noxious to predators, and aid in the digestion of earthworms. These chemicals can cause skin irritation on humans if they hold the flatworm, and domestic mammals if they consume the flatworm. Furthermore, many flatworms can carry parasitic nematodes within them.”
You have every excuse to create a flame thrower.
There have been cases of dogs eating flatworms, getting sick, and eventually throwing up. And there, in the vomit, is a flatworm still alive and ready to cause more problems.
Hammerheads are anywhere from 4 to 18 inches long.
They are long, skinny, and light or honey colored, with 1 to 5 dark dorsal stripes with a dark collar. It’s that head that gives them away. Don’t cut or chop them up, as tempting as that seems.
They can grow. Regrow.
They don’t need mates to reproduce. As if they weren’t weird enough. Cutting them up will just produce more worms. So step on them and squish the life out of those worms if you want to.
Just make sure you step on the whole worm.
You can put them in containers or ziploc bags with a bit of salt inside. Seal it and throw them away. Just make sure there’s no opening in the bag as they can squeeze out. Do your part!
These terrifying, toxic terrestrial flatworms are out to destroy so do a little research before going out to dispose of them. They have been known to eat each other and are… potentially immortal.
Fascinated or grossed out, check out these worms below!
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