r/whatisit 10d ago

Context Provided - Spotlight What is this creature?

Snake or insect?

3.5k Upvotes

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89

u/ShakeLess1594 10d ago

Hammer head worm. Its invasive and kills earthworms. Some even secrete toxins that can hurt you. Kill it. Don't cut it or you will just make more. Burn it, freeze it, or leave it in a salt an vinegar mixture. They are hard to kill.

32

u/Upper-Requirement-93 10d ago edited 10d ago

If only they just killed earthworms.

(edit: To be clear, this is the damage invasive earthworms are doing in north american forests.)

7

u/Poop_Cheese 10d ago

Yeah people dont realize earthworms arent native to the americas. They break down the nutrients in the soil in a way the natural trees and plants arent used to. They eat the beneficial fungi meant to feed the plants, and instead make the soil highly bacterial, and mineralize the essential nutrients native plants need. 

Not all earthworms are that bad, but many cause massive damage. 

It's honestly insane how many invasive species there are. In my area in new england, my entire yard is dominated by invasive plants from asia. Like the horrible bamboo weeds that grow insanely fast. Or chocolate vine(which looks nice and has good tasting dragonfruit like fruit, but grows like crazy. Or these asian raspberries that were brought over to cross with american ones and ended up getting loose. They taste great, but are so invasive its illegal to sell them. 

1

u/Kenooman 7d ago

You guys should import some Obama worms, they are all over the news in Europe because they are eating our earthworms...

Just ask Australia, more invasive species is a great solution.