“Looks like a small snake but doesn’t bite!
While digging in da garden may give you a fright!
Like Jovi says it’s slippery when wet
It’s earthworm! Not your regular pet!”
Everyone knows how earthworms are good for the soil and they are to be left as alone as possible. But ( he he!) there is a worm which has no known predators and is dangerous!
It is also a grade A CANNIBAL!
If you cut it into two it will become two!
Scene from a horror movie! Well, almost!
read on!
Growing up we have always been taught that earthworms are good for the soil. Every garden project we used to see these little snake like worms and though initially terrified, later on used to get used to them!
We used to avoid crushing or hurting them and keep them safe. It was rightfully so since they are actually very helpful for the crops!
Earthworm feed primarily on organic material in soils, eating fresh and decaying material from plant roots, including crops like corn and soybeans. As they feed, they move and mix their waste with the soil in a moist, microbe-rich environment.
Earthworm tunnels bring in oxygen, drain water and create space for plant roots.
The population of worms also is controlled since they are regulated by all predators including birds and the population never gets more!
But ( he he!); there is a worm which looks like earthworm and does not have any natural predator! It can grow fast and swiftly and it almost immortal!
Even crushing or cutting is tolerated since each piece can grow up to be a worm!
This worm is called the H hammerhead worm!
This is a terrifying, toxic terrestrial flatworm.
This large planarian lives on land and is both a predator and a cannibal. While the distinctive-looking worms don’t pose a direct threat to human beings, they’re an invasive species that packs the power to eradicate earthworms.
If you think that you can simply crush them with your fingers be very wary!
Also known as a broadhead planarian, the worm can grow up to three feet (or a little more than 91 centimetres) long and has a neurotoxin, called tetrodotoxin, which is also found in pufferfish!
The extremely potent poison can cause tingling or a rash when touched by humans, and nausea if swallowed!
They of course can reproduce by multiple ways however, asexual reproduction is much more common than sexual reproduction.
Usually, a worm reproduces by fragmentation, leaving behind a tail tip stuck to a leaf or other substrate, which then develops into an adult.
If the worm is cut into pieces, each section can regenerate into a fully developed organism within a few weeks. Injured worms rapidly regenerate damaged tissue!
The recommendation if you see a worm is to carefully grab it with tools and put it in salt water and call the pest control! And of course thank the stars that it is only of that size! Thinking of stars you can count Jimmy Shergill as one!
Now stop thinking of squirmy creatures and sleep!
Shubh ratri!
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