An invasive species of worm has been found in Lamar County, with experts saying recent rainfall has likely forced the Asian Hammerhead Flatworms to emerge.
“My wife, Laura, saw it come up through the drain while in the shower,” said Paris-based auctioneer Daniel Lewis. “I had seen a story about the worms on the news where they interviewed a woman from the Texas Invasive Species Office so knew what they looked like when she showed me.”
According to Ashley Morgan-Olvera with the Texas Invasive Species Institute, Asian Hammerhead Flatworms are considered invasive because they prey on earthworms necessary to a healthy environment.
“In order to digest earthworms, hammerhead flatworms secrete a neurotoxin that irritates the skin and makes pets sick if eaten,” Morgan-Olvera told KAKE.
Asian Hammerhead Flatworms not only prey upon common earthworms but other creatures as well and can grow to nearly a foot long, according to the Texas Invasive Species Institute. They’re easy to detect because they have a half-moon-shaped head that is a lot like Hammerhead sharks. Sometimes, people refer to them as hammerhead slugs.
Additionally, the Texas Invasive Species Institute advises residents not to cut them in half. Asian Hammerhead Flatworms are hermaphroditic, but “sexual reproduction has not been observed,” said the institution. From what they can tell, the worms reproduce through fragmentation, meaning if you cut them in half, another head will form within ten days.
“So when we cut them into pieces, we’re just helping them along,” Morgan-Olvera said.
Due to the worms’ ability to transmit harmful parasites to humans and mammals alike, Morgan-Olvera says not to handle them with bare hands. If you do, wash your hands with hot, soapy water and use disinfectant afterward.
Morgan-Olvera told WFAA that people who find the worms should put them in sealed bags with salt or vinegar and freeze them overnight.
Anyone who finds an Asian Hammerhead Flatworm is encouraged to report it to the Texas Invasive Species Institute.
PHOTO: Daniel Lewis
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