Some 20 hammerhead flatworms have been spotted in Westmount. The invasive species from Asia secretes a dangerous paralyzing toxin and is increasingly present in North America.
Lisa Osterland, a retired teacher, discovered about 20 hammerhead flatworms (bipalium) in her garden in Westmount, a municipality on the Island of Montreal.
Earlier this week, while removing slugs that were eating the flowers in her garden, she noticed a type of invertebrate she had never seen before.
[...]
Their proliferation is a cause for concern, not least because this worm secretes a paralyzing toxin, tetrodotoxin.
"It's one of the most powerful molecules in the biological world, the same molecule that is produced by puffer-fish," Normandin said.
"If a young child puts soil in his mouth and ingests a flatworm or two or more, there's a real risk of damage. If ingested, it's a toxin that will first attack the perioral region — the face, the tongue and everything in the esophagus," and "in such a case, the child needs to be hospitalized very quickly," the expert added.
Here's a land planarian! Land planarians are commonly known as hammerhead worms despite not being annelids (segmented worms). While some species are invasive, they're a fascinating family of creatures that come in a stunning variety of colors/ patterns!
Please keep any comments about killing land planarians to yourself. Invasive species aren't invasive everywhere and can be appreciated and valued in their native range.
I love to generate heinous writhing vermin — @crevicedwelling (original post here)
[image ID] a portrait of a family of flatworms consisting of two adults with light brown bodies and dark brown stripes and characteristic shovel shaped heads, with a pile of shiny red eggs between them. above is a quote from Tumblr user crevicedwelling that reads "I love to generate heinous writhing vermin." [end image ID]
oh youre a lesbian? so are you the one who grabs the neurotoxic worm or the one who informs the one who grabbed the neurotoxic worm that it was a neurotoxic worm
You know that thing Wikipedia does where it goes deep into the detailed scientific authorial voice and doesn't clarify something you consider pretty fuckin key that shows up in the first sentence?
So I searched for hammerhead worms. First sentence: "Bipalium is a genus of large predatory land planarians."
Okay. I don't know what the heck a planarian is. (A flatworm, apparently.) I'm getting that it lives on the ground and not in water. I definitely understand the words "large predatory".
i do know that worms make up an astonishing number of the phyla of animals that exist, and some bristle worms can get up to 10 feet long. I know the longest tapeworm ever removed from a human was 82 feet long. I know I don't know anything about the sheer variety of worms on the planet.
At no point in this article do they define "large". Including the lengthy "description" section. What... what is large, for a predatory animal - oh, it's invasive too, that's lovely, and one produces a powerful neurotoxin, how charming - with whom I might share an environment? Large like a giant hummingbird (still little, but larger than all the other hummingbirds)? Large like a reticulated python (too big for one person to safely handle)?
(Three articles later, apparently one "very long" species makes it up to 20cm. Okay. So on the hummingbird end.)
hammerhead flatworms (Bipaliinae) are in my estimation among the most beautiful terrestrial animals, often sporting bright colors and striking patterns that advertise their toxicity.
bipaliines feed on either worms or land gastropods, tracking the slime trails of prey with their highly sensitive spade- or crescent-shaped head plate.
Southeast Asia is a hotspot for bipaliine diversity, and at least six species can be found in Singapore, all of which I managed to encounter this summer!
Making an enamel pin of Bipalium, preorder options include one with a discounted second pin from any pins I have available (or a second flatworm) and an option to add some random rubber bugs!
[ID: Artwork featuring 17 different forms of a bipedal oc. Each form uses the same base, posing simply on a plain or patterned background and facing to the left - each variation has some kind of invertebrate replacing the limbs, and a corresponding color/hairstyle change. The first /default form has giant American Millipedes replacing their legs, with fluffy, striped hair covering their top face, a curly tail, and antennae matching the ones on their limbs, almost resembling a dog / bear. Other forms, from left to right, include a Giraffe Weevil, Mint-Legged Centipede, Stick Bug, Rhino Beetle, Fly, Ladybug, Common Blue Damselfly, Medicinal Leech, Shrimp, Garden Snail, Leopard Slug, Hermit Crab, Hammerhead Flatworm, Velvet Worm, Earth Worm, and Bald-Faced Hornet. End ID]
Swirlipede!
A weird little shapeshifter with the tendency to poke their nose in everyone's business. Dedicated question-asker and party-crasher, fe acts out their many personas via various forms to address situations in fun and dramatic ways. On a journey to discover themself and try out almost every role he can stick himself into.
As Swirli's introduced to more invertebrates to take inspiration from, more forms are bound to develop, so the list remains ever-shifting.