The US is under attack by a toxic worm: beheading only allows it to multiply faster

Subscribe so you don't miss the latest and most exciting news from the world of science! According to the researchers, these brown and black striped land planarians with a distinctive crescent-shaped head can reach a length of about 40 centimeters. Much more disturbing is that, like many species of flatworms, hammerhead flatworms can regenerate an entirely new worm from pieces of their own body. Thus, beheading or trampling a worm will not simply kill it, but will only help it reproduce faster.

In fact, it is enough to cut one hammerhead flatworm in half, and now we have two worms. Instead, experts recommend not touching flatworms with your bare hands, but placing them in a bag and freezing them for 48 hours, where it is safe to do so. The researchers also asked Texas residents to report flatworm sightings to the Texas Invasive Species Institute.

Previous studies have already shown that these terrestrial predators living in Southeast Asia feel great in a hot and humid environment, feeding on snails and earthworms. Because of this diet, greenhouses are essentially an ideal habitat for worms, allowing flatworms to spread through the horticulture and vegetable industries. Hammerhead flatworms can also be found in fallen leaves, moist mulch and soil.

Hammerhead flatworms don't actually bite or sting, but some, but not all, species of Bipalium can produce a neurotoxin known as tetrodotoxin in their mucus, according to Virginia Polytechnic University entomologist Theresa Dellinger. That is why scientists do not advise touching flatworms with bare hands. The purpose of the toxin is to subdue prey, but the sodium channel blocker can irritate the skin and mucous membranes of humans and pets.

Hammerhead flatworms are known to be an invasive species and therefore have no natural predators in the United States. Under favorable conditions, flatworm populations can get out of control, depleting earthworm populations, which play an important role in maintaining soil health. According to University of Florida nematologists, hammerhead flatworms are also prone to cannibalism, so they can be their own worst enemies.