Hammerhead Worm (land planarian)

Bipalium kewense

Order
Family
Genus
Species
Regional

This bug has been reportedly found in the following regions:

Alabaster, Alabama

Arley, Alabama

Birmingham, Alabama

Blountsville, Alabama

Clanton, Alabama

Dothan, Alabama

Helena, Alabama(2 reports)

Madison, Alabama

Mc Calla, Alabama

Mobile, Alabama

Montgomery, Alabama

Ohatchee, Alabama

Titus, Alabama

Tuscumbia, Alabama

Vincent, Alabama

Camden, Arkansas

Conway, Arkansas

Fort Smith, Arkansas

Glenwood, Arkansas

Heber Springs, Arkansas

Jessieville, Arkansas

Jonesboro, Arkansas

Little Rock, Arkansas

Maumelle, Arkansas

Mena, Arkansas

Siloam Springs, Arkansas

Wilton, Arkansas

Anaheim, California

Canyon Country, California

Castro Valley, California

Ceres, California

Chico, California

Chino Hills, California

Citrus Heights, California

Cloverdale, California

Costa Mesa, California

Cupertino, California

Danville, California(2 reports)

Davis, California

East Porterville, California

Elk Grove, California

Farmersville, California

Folsom, California

Fresno, California

Galt, California

Gilroy, California

Grand Terrace, California

Hayward, California

Highlands-Baywood Park, California

Lake Forest, California

Lincoln, California

Livermore, California

Lodi, California(2 reports)

Long Beach, California

Los Angeles, California

Modesto, California

Mountain View, California

Novato, California

Oakdale, California

Porterville, California

Redding, California

Rocklin, California

Roseville, California

Sacramento, California(4 reports)

Salinas, California

San Carlos, California

San Clemente, California

San Diego, California(3 reports)

San Francisco, California

Stockton, California

Torrance, California

Vacaville, California

Whittier, California

Seymour, Connecticut

Belleview, Florida

Boca Raton, Florida(2 reports)

Bradenton, Florida

Brandon, Florida

Davenport, Florida(2 reports)

Deland, Florida

Deltona, Florida

Dunedin, Florida

Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Hollywood, Florida

Jacksonville, Florida

Mary Esther, Florida

Mount Dora, Florida

Ocoee, Florida

Oldsmar, Florida

Orlando, Florida

Palm Coast, Florida

Pompano Beach, Florida

Port Saint Lucie, Florida

Saint Augustine, Florida

Sarasota, Florida(2 reports)

Tavares, Florida

West Palm Beach, Florida

Athens, Georgia

Atlanta, Georgia

Augusta, Georgia

Canton, Georgia

Carrollton, Georgia

Columbus, Georgia

Cornelia, Georgia

Cumming, Georgia

Dacula, Georgia

Dallas, Georgia

Douglasville, Georgia(2 reports)

Fayetteville, Georgia

Gainesville, Georgia

Jackson, Georgia

Jekyll Island, Georgia

Kennesaw, Georgia

Kingsland, Georgia

Marietta, Georgia

Midway, Georgia

Monroe, Georgia

Newnan, Georgia(2 reports)

Peachtree City, Georgia

Rome, Georgia

Sharpsburg, Georgia

Smyrna, Georgia

Snellville, Georgia

Stockbridge, Georgia(2 reports)

Tucker, Georgia

Winder, Georgia

Woodstock, Georgia

Honolulu, Hawaii

Kailua, Hawaii

Kaneohe Station, Hawaii

Kurtistown, Hawaii

Maunawili, Hawaii

Volcano, Hawaii

Wahiawa, Hawaii

Evanston, Illinois

Lombard, Illinois

Anderson, Indiana

Denham Springs, Louisiana

Gonzales, Louisiana

Harvey, Louisiana

La Place, Louisiana

Lacombe, Louisiana

Saint Martinville, Louisiana

Arnold, Maryland

Framingham, Massachusetts

Halifax, Massachusetts

Brandon, Mississippi(2 reports)

Fulton, Mississippi

Hickory Flat, Mississippi

Long Beach, Mississippi

Meridian, Mississippi

Moss Point, Mississippi

Columbia, New Jersey

Hewitt, New Jersey

Lincoln Park, New Jersey

Ithaca, New York

Petersburg, New York

Cary, North Carolina(2 reports)

Chadbourn, North Carolina

Chapel Hill, North Carolina(2 reports)

Charlotte, North Carolina(2 reports)

China Grove, North Carolina

Clayton, North Carolina(2 reports)

Columbus, North Carolina

Concord, North Carolina

Fuquay Varina, North Carolina

Havelock, North Carolina

High Point, North Carolina

Holly Springs, North Carolina

Jacksonville, North Carolina

Kure Beach, North Carolina

Lewisville, North Carolina

Morrisville, North Carolina

Murphy, North Carolina(2 reports)

New Bern, North Carolina

Newport, North Carolina

Pittsboro, North Carolina

Raleigh, North Carolina(4 reports)

Richlands, North Carolina

Rocky Mount, North Carolina

Sanford, North Carolina

Sherrills Ford, North Carolina

Waxhaw, North Carolina

Heath, Ohio

Lincoln City, Oregon

Altoona, Pennsylvania

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Boswell, Pennsylvania

Honey Brook, Pennsylvania

Phoenixville, Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Fajardo, Puerto Rico

Rincon, Puerto Rico

Cinisi, Sicily(2 reports)

, Sor-Trondelag

Cayce, South Carolina

Duncan, South Carolina

Easley, South Carolina

Florence, South Carolina

Fort Mill, South Carolina

Lancaster, South Carolina

Lexington, South Carolina

Mauldin, South Carolina

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

North Charleston, South Carolina

Rock Hill, South Carolina

Summerville, South Carolina

Walhalla, South Carolina

Westminster, South Carolina

Chattanooga, Tennessee

Collierville, Tennessee

Franklin, Tennessee

Hixson, Tennessee

Knoxville, Tennessee

Kodak, Tennessee

Sparta, Tennessee

Arlington, Texas

Austin, Texas(4 reports)

Dallas, Texas(3 reports)

Desoto, Texas

Edinburg, Texas

Euless, Texas

Frisco, Texas

Hebbronville, Texas

Houston, Texas(4 reports)

Karnack, Texas

Katy, Texas

La Grange, Texas

La Marque, Texas

Longview, Texas

Marshall, Texas

Mc Kinney, Texas

Missouri City, Texas

Nederland, Texas

New Boston, Texas

Nome, Texas

Paris, Texas(2 reports)

Port Arthur, Texas

Porter, Texas

Sachse, Texas

San Antonio, Texas

Spicewood, Texas

Spring, Texas(2 reports)

Webster, Texas

Fairfax, Virginia

Portsmouth, Virginia

Roanoke, Virginia

South Hill, Virginia

Yorktown, Virginia

Lyle, Washington

Maple Valley, Washington

show all

Featured Videos


Gardener's Notes:
14 positive 103 neutral 49 negative
Sort By:
D

Dgmom2581

Hickory Flat, MS | October 2023 | Negative
I just found one in my back yard omg they have got to go.
C

CrystalMcWilliams

Blountsville, AL | September 2021 | Negative
I just found one of these in my front yard crawling uphill from my dog\'s water bucket. I live on 10 acres of wooded property and have seen some strange creatures (and plenty of snakes). I knew immediately it\'s a worm, and my concern was that it\'s some mutant form of tapeworm that may harm my animals. So far research shows I am correct - it can harm my dogs, cats, and my earthworms! Now I\'ll be hunting \"hammerhead flatworms\" like a crazy person!
f

follyfarmgoats

Conway, AR | September 2021 | Positive
I am in Conway, Arkansas. I discovered Hammerhead Worms several years ago in my underground storm shelter during periods of rain and humidity.
Recently I built an outdoor worm compost area for some of my Red Wigglers. Today I found 3 or 4 Hammerhead Worms in the worm compost so I moved them to the regular compost pile and then found a couple more in there. They have been on top.
The eradication technique that has worked for me is to spray them with a vinigar water solution. They almost just melt away and have to be scrubbed up with a rag.
J

Juberry

Missouri City, TX | July 2021 | Negative
Add Missouri City, Texas to the list. Just found one on the trash can lid out back. Clearly segmental. As I tapped him off, he multiplied into two and both were acting on their own.
Salted them, then put them n the trash they were discovered atop. Looked under some paver stones and found a nest. Salted them as well.
A

AliTaco

| December 2020 | Negative
I live in Georgia and would play with these things as a kid. My lips would go numb after handling them. I’m 28 now and they were pretty abundant even back then.
P

PeterSkillet

Houston, TX | September 2020 | Neutral
Found a ~4 inch long hammerhead worm in northwest Houston, TX today. Somehow it got on my dog! I think my dog may have gotten the worm on him from a tree on our walk when he was going to the bathroom. This worm is very slimy!
T

TN4meforever5

Franklin, TN | August 2020 | Neutral
Found a Hammerhead worm early this morning crawling up the glass on my storm door. I am located in Franklin , TN. I killed it using salt. Will now be looking for others in my garden.
m

marycar

Tuscumbia, AL | July 2020 | Negative
I found this worm for the first time in my garden in Tuscumbia, AL 7-26-2020 in a potted plant. It won\'t be eating my earthworms any longer.
A

AliceFlem

Fort Smith, AR | June 2020 | Neutral
Add Fort Smith, Arkansas to your list too! I go out and turn over stones and they are everywhere. I keep a thing of salt with me at all times! They destroyed my earthworm population in my compost bin. I ordered additional earthworms to replace them in my compost and I have very few of them left.
D

DebsCoop

Palmyra, NY | May 2020 | Neutral
I am in Palmyra NY and have never seen one of these before until last night. One was on a dried leaf stuck to my cat's back leg. It is in a container while I do some research about it. We have had heavy downpours in the past couple days. I am still trying to find out if it would harm my chickens if they were to eat one.
D

Dieman74

Torrance, CA | October 2019 | Neutral
Found 5 so far in 3 locations near my raised planter beds. I’ve lived in Torrance, Ca. for most of my life and had never encountered these in all my years of gardening. My young son and I were checking our garden for slugs on September 28th 2019 and happened to look under a pot that pineapple is growing in and found the first 2. It was drizzling that morning so, humid. When we first encountered this alien species it seemed small at approximately 3 inches in length. However, as it proceeded to flee it quickly went from 3 inches to 8-9 inches in length with no real diminishing in girth observed. I have a compost bin and a large variety of vegetables in this area hence, a very large earthworm population that contribute much to our organic garden. I turned the young’un loose with his aSALT... read more
M

MarkTrail

Fort Lauderdale, FL | August 2019 | Neutral
You can add Dania Beach to your list - I found one this morning. Very unhappy - I love snails.
M

MarkTrail

Fort Lauderdale, FL | August 2019 | Neutral
You can add Dania Beach to your list - I found one this morning. Very unhappy - I love snails.
C

CarolinaGirl22

Cary, NC | July 2019 | Neutral
These are all over my yard in Cary, NC. I have been battling slugs and voles and as I was dealing with the slug problem I started noticing these in the garden beds as well. They come out particularly during high humidity or rainy nights. I read that they are essentially immortal and can only be killed by drowning in soapy water. To even leave a tiny peice behind would mean they would regrow. I try to get rid of any of them that I see. Extremely long and sticky. I do not touch them due to their toxicity. Horrifying things.
a

ashleysgarden

South Burlington, VT | May 2019 | Negative
I dont have any 1st hand indisputable knowledge.
negative because of the claims in quick research about toxins where i'd rather play it safe, and not touch these (eek... photo of one on a finger)

They look like a worm but then slither more like a snake climbing up walls & fence.

I periodically see these and over the years went from 3-5 earthworms per shovelfull to rarely encountering one. almost exclusively in pots. that is purely anecdotal though, it might be all due to moles.

I have 3 types of snails that they are definately not keeping up with if its true they eat snails.

just dont touch or let pets play with incase!

there were claims if smushed the peices become individual slugs.

would be... read more
Y

YankeeGarden

Pittsburgh, PA | April 2019 | Negative
my yard in Pgh Pa is totally infested with these nasty worms..I have alot of earthworms & slugs thats probably why
I was putting them into a bottle of soapy water to kill them when i swear one attacked me with a foamy substance
then i read they excrete a dangerous neurotoxin..i found a dead cardinal & wonder if it ATE one...a farmers site about raising chickens has a woman also swearing her chicken ate one & also died..
d

dirtdiggermary

Mobile, AL | January 2019 | Neutral
Adding info to your database
S

Suedilly

Florence, SC | October 2018 | Neutral
I saw a very small hammerhead slug/flatworm this morning in my yard in Florence, SC. It caught my eye as it was attached to an earthworm on my walkway. I also saw a larger one in almost the same place about three years ago. I'm wondering if there is something to put out to get rid of them or to discourage them? I don't want them to eat all of my earthworms.
T

T_Smith

Littleton, CO | May 2018 | Neutral
Add Shreveport Louisiana to the list of places this worm has been observed. Found them in my parent's garden last spring. I never saw them there when I was younger.
B

Bookie28472

Chadbourn, NC | April 2018 | Negative
Hammerhead worms are predatory to native earthworms. They are considered an invasive and can destroy the native population. They are NOT a gardener's friend! They reproduce sexually and asexually. They have to be put in a bag or container to get rid of them not squashed.
R

Riann

Canton, GA | October 2017 | Negative
I saw 5 of these from 3 inches to 13 inches in Canton, Georgia yesterday after it rained. They were following each other across my garage door. I have been seeing them for years, but never more than one at a time. They appeared to be following the same path as the first one. I used to have worms everywhere in my driveway after a rain, but I didn't see one yesterday.
K

KarenCM

Woodstock, GA | October 2017 | Negative
Woodstock, Georgia. I first noticed these slimy visitors a couple of years ago. Today - after a rain - there were more than a dozen on my driveway. Most notable was the absence of our regular earthworms - there was only one. Scary. Wonder what problems they've caused in their native habitat.
j

jenbug

Chapel Hill, NC | October 2017 | Neutral
Found this worm on my patio in Chapel Hill, NC this morning, afer the first rain we've had in weeks. Tan with dark stripes running the length of its 8-10 inches. Little eyeless hammerhead twitching hungrily around for prey. Because I had never seen or heard of such a worm before, watched too many horror movies back when I was a kid in the 70s, read too much horror/sci-fi and have an overactive imagination, I spent a good 10 minutes believing that the aliens had landed in this sneaky form. They would soon grow monster-sized and take over the Earth! Sufficiently creeped out after discovering how slimy this little devil is while maneuvering it into a zip lock bag, I made my way here to learn that, though the world may end any day now, it won't be due to this Thing!
d

dougnpatty

Snellville, GA | September 2017 | Positive
I am writing because I just found a hammerhead worm in my driveway. I have never seen one before. It is a very interesting creature.It is about 8.5 inches long.
r

rrtucker

Fuquay Varina, NC | May 2017 | Negative
May 23, 2017: Fuquay-Varina, NC -- Found a 12 incher trying to climb my garage door in the rain. As is our custom here, unidentified things go in a jar until we can figure out whether they are generally good, or generally bad, for the yard. As is also our custom here, will add gasoline to jar for a quick and thorough end.
c

ct3fromLG

La Grange, TX | April 2017 | Negative
I have seen these slug type creatures off and on now for well over 15 years in my yard & on the concrete curbing especially after a good rain. Most are just sliming along looking for prey. But I have seen several of the smaller 3" - 6" long ones actually make their way to the upper part of grass that would support their weight and extend their bodies skyward waving their disgusting flat rounded arrowhead shaped heads back & forth just like a land leech attempting to locate a meal or a ride. I placed my bare foot next to one of them and it immediately attached itself to me. It did not make a mark but I did have to use force to pull it from my body. I honestly feel that if I had left it in place for a longer period of time that it would likely have fed on me. I have found them from 3" to 16"... read more
w

wormfinder

Poughkeepsie, NY | October 2016 | Neutral
Found 2 land planarians in Volcano, Hawaii. one about 1.5 inches, the other around 3. Both are now much flatter and have more surface area .
B

Bluebonnet100

Mc Kinney, TX | October 2016 | Neutral
Just found a 6" hammerhead worm slithering across the sidewalk in the backyard in McKinney, TX (suburb of Dallas). It is now taking the long swim.
h

harperwc

Frisco, TX | May 2016 | Neutral
after a couple of weeks of above average rain, i have observed a couple of these bipalium kewense cruising across the sidewalk between two well mulched flowerbeds. our specimens were 4-6 inches in length. we have a compost pile nearby, typically the home to about 15-30 earthworms per shovel load of compost. since i have seen no decline of earthworms over the last few years, i am not too concerned about these hammerhead dudes.
z

zmike1

Evanston, IL | May 2016 | Neutral
Neutral for now. I found one of these on my woodpile last fall. Quick internet search led me to kill it (or so I hoped !?) with salt and smashing. Turned over some old tarps and found at least 20 more kind of curled up in the cool mud this spring. Smashed them all and left the bodies in the sun. I understand invasive species living in the south - - that's the price you pay for mild winters... but these **&^%***s apparently survive Chicago winter, too. I've gardened all my life but haven't seen these until last year. I'll be keeping an eye on the alien invasion...Maybe I need to get some toads.
c

coriaceous

ROSLINDALE, MA | January 2016 | Neutral
For those who are concerned about the effect of this predatory worm on earthworm populations:

The earthworms you know are not native to North America. They arrived from Europe on nursery stock. They are efficient at destroying the duff layer at the surface of woodland soil, which most of our native woodland perennials are adapted to growing in. European earthworms have had a major deleterious impact on the native woodland flora of eastern N. America---some conservation biologists (Bernd Blossey of Cornell is one) say a more serious effect than all the invasive plants humans have introduced. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/invasive-ear... read more
D

DaisyPlantLady

Reno, NV (Zone 6b) | January 2016 | Negative
I understand they were introduced in potted plants imported from Asia. They eat earthworms which is why I gave them a negative rating. We have always found them in cool damp places - under rocks, under pots... in the company of earthworms.

Location: Oakdale farm country, Stanislaus County, California

My daughter calls them all "Cindy", I think it was the "don't-know-what-it-is-so-I'll-give-it-a-name" thinking of a 5 year old. The name has stuck at our house. "Cindy Worms"
U

UmbralEquinox

Murphy, NC | December 2015 | Neutral
Here in Murphy, NC, I walked out of the house today around 11:50 AM to find some crickets. I turned over a rock and found this weird-slug-thing. It was all curled in on itself and I thought it was a dead, flattened slug, so I scooped it up with a stick and set it on the rock. I went inside for a minute and when I came back, it was stretched out to about half a foot long and slivering away, so I put it in a container and now it's sitting on my bed. From what I've heard, hammerhead worms come out a lot after heavy rains, and there's been a lot of rain and flooding in Murphy as of late.
J

JudyPage76

Spring, TX | November 2015 | Neutral
Just found two after a day of rain in The Woodlands, TX (near Houston).
l

leadhead

Jacksonville, NC | September 2015 | Positive
I have lived in Jacksonville NC for about 7 years and never seen a hammerhead worm before. We have been experiencing consistent rain fall for a few days now so when I spotted what I thought was an earth worm on my porch sidewalk I didn't think much of it at first. However, upon further examination I noticed it had thin black stripes running along the length of its body. I picked it up and noticed it was much more slug like than worm like and much to my shock, it had a head. As I allowed it to inch through my fingers for a bit I anticipated it bitingme, assuming it was some sort of leach, but it didn't. Confused, I committed it to captivity and began a bit of research. I discovered it was a hammerhead worm originating from Asia much like silk trees, stink bugs and mosquito fish. The first o... read more
C

CaityMarie

Katy, TX | September 2015 | Negative
Katy, TX can be added to the list. We just had an incredible amount of rain today. I found a five inch one crawling up the side of my house. I thought it might be a tiny snake and didn't want it finding its way inside so I hit it a few times and thought it was dead since it was cut in about three separate pieces. A few minutes later it was not where I left it. It had reassembled and moved to a place between the bricks. Yuck!
s

sweethollow

Collierville, TN | July 2015 | Neutral
I found my first "hammer head" worm, Bipalium kewense, today. I was hosing off the sidewalk leading up to my front door, and saw it when I moved the doormat. I have gardened all my life in three different states and have never seen one before. It was very sticky - I placed a 3 x 5" index card in front of it, and it crawled right on to it. I threw it in the trash can, not knowing what exactly it was. I am so glad to have found more information about this "pest" and will be careful to dispose of it in the future. We have huge night crawlers here, and abundant gardens and I would hate to see that affected by this parasite.
l

loomex

Ithaca, NY | June 2015 | Neutral
I'm in ithaca, ny and found one under a piece of metal on my porch. This is the second time I have found one. They are kind of neat to watch. I just tossed it into the bushes.
J

Jeffxlh

Spicewood, TX | May 2015 | Negative
My son found on on the back porch after a hard rain here in Lakeway Texas. He's an odd looking critter. The worm I mean!
s

shores90

Midway, GA | April 2015 | Neutral
Found this worm crawling on our front porch the other evening. I'd never seen one before so I snapped a quick photo with my phone to look it up later. Glad I found out what it was. Looks disgusting and I already hate worms. I was super grossed out to find this thing. We live right off a lake in Midway, GA. I sure hope I don't have to see anymore of these. Yuck.
B

Blaurel

Columbus, GA | October 2014 | Neutral
I saw one in my backyard and had no idea what I was. The main concern was that it could be harmful to my pets. Very interesting looking creature.
a

animike

Dallas, GA | September 2014 | Negative
Found on doorstep rug at 2 am. Was about 10-12 inches long. I had never seen anything like it so I took a picture (posted #86) It scanned it's head back and forth over the ground as it moved forward.-Very much like a hammerhead shark hunting. Didn't know it was something bad so let it be. (Oops, -sorry earthworms) Should have fed it to the chickens, although it probably would have freaked them out also.
d

dixxie

Monroe, GA | September 2014 | Positive
Found the first one I`ve ever seen, my wife said it was a blood sucker. Looked up hammer head worm on the net and it brought me here. I signed up and started reading all the bad things about the little guy I had just caught, especially the fact it ate earthworms. I went outside turned over a couple stones and found a 4" salamander, I pulled it out of the cup it was in, dropped it in front of the salamander; goodbye planarian bipalian or whatever it was. I live on 20 acres, mostly woods and have thousands of newts and salamanders, guess that`s why I`ve never seen one.
B

Baby9974

West Palm Beach, FL | July 2014 | Positive
Lived in S Florida for 27 years, never encountered one of these until seeing one climbing on my door last night - juvenile, about 1.5" long. Funny thing is, there was a crushed snail shell on my patio the night before, no sign of the slug though. Could it be the adult worm ate it the night before?? I don't mind that they eat snails, the snails eat my plants, so I say thumbs up for these worms!
h

holmes1012

Duncan, SC | June 2014 | Negative
I seen one on my walkway this morning for the first time. I have never seen one. I didn't know what it was until I started researching it. I didn't know if it was a worm or a snake! I read several things about it and didn't know it ate earthworms and was a harmful invasive creature. Now I wish I wouldn't have just let it go!
k

kmurph428

Newnan, GA | September 2013 | Neutral
I keep finding dead hammerhead worms in my basement. They are dried up when I find them and surrounded by or found near a trail of dried up goo. I've yet to find a live one, but I have cats and I don't really want them eating these worms. Is there any way to get rid of them? Or to repel them? Obviously something is killing them, but yet they keep coming in?! I'm sure it has to do with the extremely rainy summer we had in Georgia this year. But even with a dehumidifier running down there I still keep finding them. Any thoughts or suggestions?
t

tbolt1

Westminster, SC | August 2013 | Neutral
Saw them this summer for the first time ever in Westminster, SC. Found that sprinkling table salt on them kills them the same way it does slugs
p

parker22

Lesslie, SC | August 2013 | Negative
Killed over 160 in two days on my driveway after a heavy rain. Any chance that was the majority of them? Rock Hill, SC
E

Edwin5050

Fulton, MS | July 2013 | Neutral
Found them in my flower beds in Fulton, MS 38843. Killed 12 of them on the sidewalk last night. My garden is not doing very good this year and I blame it on these monsters.
S

Swaughtel

China Grove, NC | July 2013 | Neutral
Never seen one before until tonight, ugly as sin! It was crawling across my driveway. Now I know not to split it apart though. Thanks for the info!
V

V13j0

Wharton, NJ | July 2013 | Neutral
This little guy surprised me. I am on vacation and saw this strange creature and had to know what it was.
Was just glad it was not a predator of humans, and have reported it.
Balsamic vinegar seems to have done the trick, nothing moving after a squirt.
So sad that invasive species find homes in the USA so easily.
Was under the impression that this invasive species would have been stopped at the border. Priorities are not what they should be.
m

missymoo1

Villa Rica, GA | July 2013 | Neutral
saw one in our garage last night. we live in villa rica ga. we put it in the yard. it was about 10 inchs long
f

fractalsky

Davis, CA | June 2013 | Neutral
On June 25, 2013, in Davis, CA. My 7 year old son found it on the lawn outside of my place. It has been raining for two days. My son though it was a moving mushroom. I have never seen anything like it before. I am glad that I found this page.
p

playera

Charlotte, NC | May 2013 | Positive
This worm was crawling across the sidewalk at a friend's house in Charlotte, NC. I don't think I ever saw one before, so it was interesting. The list of sightings doesn't include Charlotte. Today was warm (78-80 degrees) and dry. It was sighted about 2:00 pm. The grass had been cut in the morning. I will look for another tomorrow. Rated positive because it is unusual to me and I'm not a gardener who might know negatives about this worm.
s

sallypsb

Bethlehem, PA | May 2013 | Negative
We found the single striped hammerhead worm (Bipalium adventitium, I believe) under a board in garden after rain. We are around 60 years old and had never seen one before. We like our earthworms and don't want them to disappear, which apparently could happen. Any imported critter that can reproduce from a little piece of itself and has no natural predators here makes me nervous, besides.
m

milesbatty

Concord, NC | April 2013 | Neutral
Wormguy, I just found one on the sidewalk. I saved it, do you want it? I presume I can ship it to you from North Carolina.
W

WormGuy17

Parkdale, MO | April 2013 | Neutral
Would anybody be willing to send me some of these worms? I'd like to learn more about them.
h

honeylieg

Maple Valley, WA | March 2013 | Negative
I'm super frustrated about this critter. In my region, Western Washington, there is no eliminating slugs only management and control. I'm not really sure how to contend with species. This species is considered invasive for this region and will thrive in this region. I haven't tried an Orange oil. Neem oil wasn't effective enough. If Orange oil doesn't work, I'll may have to resort to some pesticides.
S

Saucata

Hebbronville, TX | November 2012 | Neutral
If they eat earth worms are they a pest that should be gotten rid of?
m

mustangr

Richlands, NC | October 2012 | Neutral
I had just taken my two dogs outside around 6pm and tied them onto their runners. When I turned to climb the doorsteps I noticed something on my leg (my shin) and when I reached down to pull it off, I discovered it was some sort of worm! I held it in my hand and noticed it's 'hammerhead' shape at one end, the body was a chocolate color with three long, thin, black lines down the length of it's 7-8 inch body.

I've lived here 16 years and have never seen one of these before. My first thought was that it was a type of leech because of it's broad-like head, flat appearing body and the way it moved about. Thanks to my 'google' search and Dave's Garden site here, I now know exactly what it was.

It is constantly humid and hot here in eastern N.C., and the ground wate... read more
D

DiznDat

Lafayette, CA (Zone 9b) | September 2012 | Negative
I didn't know that there was a predator for earthworms. These things are creepy. My daughter has found two, so far, in Danville, CA. They caught one and had it in a jar in the house. It got out through one of the small air holes poked in the lid. They captured it before it got off the table. This is the dry season now. We probably won't have rain until October.
P

Pickelpotpie

Summerville, SC | September 2012 | Negative
I have a cat that is about a year old. I noticed him licking his front arm and i checked him out and he had this worm attached to a sore under his armpit, both ends of its body were out of the cat but the middle was inside my cats arm, i pulled it out with tweezers and my cat seems to be pleased, rinsed it out with hydrogen peroxide and some rubbing alcohol, ive looked up this worm by searched hammerhead as that is what it reminded me of scared me to death thought it was a leech..should pet owners be concerned if they have an open sore that the worm wont try to get in and lay eggs or possible kill...??? im calling my vet tomorrow with more information just to be safe...
K

KrisKrin

Gainesville, GA | September 2012 | Negative
Found one in my driveway this evening (Tuesday, Sept. 18) and after reading the posts, definitely do NOT want it in my yard, although I'm sure it's not the only one. I plan to call the nearest high school, and see if they want it for study in the biology class. It could be interesting to them.
f

furret

| August 2012 | Neutral
Came home after a big storm and saw a small one just moving along the side of my house. Pretty and different. *Central Florida
s

sriduttvnayak

| August 2012 | Positive
I found this recently near swamp in Sringeri, Karnataka, India. Adding a few pictures of it..
i

icyryce4

Sacramento, CA (Zone 9b) | August 2012 | Neutral
Found this worm when I was moving my pot of dahlias that were in the shade. It was coiled up underneath, never seen anything like it before... It was looooongggg, at least half a foot, and raced off as soon as it noticed it was uncovered. Saw these comments and noticed that it eats earthworms? Might have to do something about that...
J

JJAj

Lacombe, LA | July 2012 | Negative
On 7/11/12, Lacombe, LA. I observed worm on cement porch, upon moving it to lawn I noted quite different from common worm by the head. Online search and correspondence confirmed "photos is most likely Bipalium kewense", a parasite of earth worms. After observation and photos I disposed of worms in ~10 ml of rubbing alcohol.
K

Kenlynt83

Walhalla, SC | July 2012 | Neutral
Yep, found one today. Very weird looking. I really want to make sure they are harmful to earthworms before I murder them. I hate to kill things unnecessarily!
j

jtapp1

Gonzales, LA | May 2012 | Negative
I built my house in 2004... bug free. In 2006 I 1st found this worm. Never seen it before. Now I see more of them than red worms. And instead of being just a few in the front yard they are all around my house.

I assume that for every one that I see, there are a hundred in the ground.

Good website. Very helpful information.
N

NuggetUSC

Cayce, SC | April 2012 | Negative
On April 23, 2012 , in Cayce, SC just across the river from Columbia SC I found one of these nasty things under a stepping stone by the garden. First I swore it was a tape worm then Googled and found this site which by the way was very helpful! Anyways, after reading the comments It's time for some EXTERMINATION!!!! Any invasive species should be eradicated in my eyes. They are not meant to be here so they should be dealt with! Just look at what has happened across the US with invasive species(which 90% of them come from ASIA) . I personally used the salt method and it killed him almost instantly. I didn't feel like going to find "orange oil" and I wanted this pest gone immediately. But it was kind of weird when I salted it ,because I think it tried to take itself apart (maybe a survival ... read more
g

gorgeairshow

Lyle, WA | April 2012 | Neutral
I had my first encounter with this worm yesterday as I was transplanting strawberries. I have been an active gardener in the Columbia Gorge area for 30+ yrs and have not seen this one before. I googled "flat head worm" and it brought me to this web site and gave me the info I needed about this little predator worm. I will eliminate any that I find in the future.
I joined "Dave's Garden" and will enjoy it I am sure!
B

BREADMAN01

Sachse, TX | April 2012 | Positive
This is a very interesting worm I was not really sure as what it was, I have seen some interesting bugs but the hammerhead worm is at the top of my list.Im kind of curious of its origin, how it came to be , where it was first found, and how do they know they eat earthworms,snails and slugs. Not sure if its good or bad to have around ,thanks for the web site
p

phantera

Norristown, PA | March 2012 | Positive
If anyone finds one of these worms in SouthEast PA and wants to get rid of it please let me know - we teach about flatworms in our biology class and would love to have some of these to show the kids. (And I won't release the worm - they'll stay in captivity forever, don't worry.)
m

markums069

Kure Beach, NC | January 2012 | Neutral
For the first time I saw what was a strange looking thin, worm-like 'bug' on my smooth cement driveway. It was a relative cool, moist, yet temperate (65 degrees F), winter day. The worm, which moved like a slug, was attempting to get under the house it appeared. It struck me, because it was a beige color, about 6 inches long, thin, with about 3 black streaks running the length of the worm. It had at one end what appeared to be a shovel-head or hammerhead. I live a 1/4 mile from the beach, but near federally protected forest land. I've positively identified it as a Hammerhead Worm (land planarian) (Bipalium kewense). It was a such a unique looking specimen I had to look it up. I thought it was a baby snake at first. There is no picture, because when I attempted to pick it up, it broke in h... read more
l

leia1711

Phoenixville, PA | December 2011 | Neutral
One of my dogs brought this worm in after a walk - he must have sniffed something and picked it up somehow. It's about 60 degrees outside tonight in Eastern Pennsylvania (even though it's December), and raining. I have never seen a worm like this before and I thought it was some kind of parasite until I googled it and found this page. Thankfully it's a garden worm so I don't have to make a trip to the vet!
d

dlaraway

Redding, CA | November 2011 | Negative
I have seen these in my garden areas for the last 3 years, but didn't know what they were. Finally went online and discovered that it was worse than I thought. I had figured they were some type of flukeworm that had come from animals, but now I see they are something that may wipe out my earthworms. I'll have to be more aggressive about getting rid of them.
D

DancingTree

Ceres, CA (Zone 9b) | October 2011 | Negative
After 30 years of living and gardening in the same place, this year I've begun to find both kinds of land planarians in my garden - Bipalium kewense (long, brown with 2 stripes) and Bipalium adventitium (shorter, yellowish, one stripe). They hide under moist planters, pots, bricks. So I began using their hideouts as "traps", places I check to find them so I can then kill them. To kill them, I drop the planarians into a lidded plastic container (yogurt cup) that has 1/4" of diatomaceous earth in the bottom. I secure the lid. It works! I go out and hunt them after I irrigate, after rains, and in the morning. I check my "traps" and am regularly finding planarians. Physical / mechanical control is effective. By killing the adults, they cannot reproduce or increase populations. This way I'm pro... read more
Z

Zoemommy

Dallas, TX | September 2011 | Negative
Found 3 in our Dallas yard near White Rock Lake in the past 2 years. The first one was seen in January 09 while installing a patio so we had been digging. Weird looking thing. Took photos & Google search to learn about it & was shocked to see how rare it is & there were states with 0 or only 1 sighting. Since then we have had a hard time with our lush flower beds & our lawns(formerly fabulous) turf grass died. I added new sod & cared for it carefully. Planted more bulbs, divided my iris, added buckets of earth worms, nematodes, lady bugs, mantis ,diatomaceous earth etc. doing the basics... Sod DIED, flower beds looks weak & even my aggressive iris wont thrive. Next truck beds of hummus, top soil, compost & slit delivered & spread. Added bag after bag of grass seeds, water bill went up 30... read more
c

creepedout

San Diego, CA | September 2011 | Neutral
Hi,
I found this planarian in my house! I freaked out & thought my dog threw it up, thought it was a roundworm. After searching the internet, I believe it is the bipalium kewense. Bug was about 3 inches long, and had "goo" on it. I live in San Diego. I'm going to download a photo of it in a minute. I'm hoping it didn't come out of my dog!!
P

PoseyLover

Canyon Country, CA | June 2011 | Neutral
Busy transplanting plants from pots to ground. While investigating the rootball of plant taken from pot. I'd noted some odd trails of root distruction; from other type of root eating insect.. While holding the rootball in hand, I feel this cool wet sensation on my hand... I take a moment to look ~ What do I see? A "Hammerhead Worm" coming out of the middle of the rootball. It keeps coming & coming.. Weird visual for sure... I did not know what this was. Having experienced this worm before, but much, much larger I might add. I was unable, at that time to find an answer, as to what it was... Well, leave it to Dave's Garden and all who are part of this wonderful site. I now know, what it is. Yippeee ! Going to keep it safe till school starts and take the specimen to the elementa... read more
c

carolynsuetoo

Porterville, CA | May 2011 | Neutral
I found one under a strawberry plant pot in a very moist, dark area. Didn't know what it was and had my husband look, he didn't know what it was and tossed it back. I didn't like the looks of it and crushed it, I don't know why I did that. (1) I didn't know that they kill earthworms; (2) Why do I have as many snails that I do if hammerheads are around; (3) They can be cut into how many pieces and produce how many new worms? Is that bad? Will they eat all those good little guys (earthworms)?
s

southernmomma

Titus, AL | April 2011 | Neutral
I took the kids out to the bus this morning. It was still cloudy. Our climate is VERY humid, and it has been raining a lot in the past few weeks. Walking back to the house, I noticed this "thing" on our walkway. Yuck! I thought it was a snake at first, but it didn't slither like a snake. So I bent down to examine it. It was mucus like, similar to a snail. It has stripes on it's back and is a dark brown color. It does have the hammerhead, and is about 10" long. I scooped it up with a butter knife and put it in some moist dirt in a disposable bowl with some air holes poked in the top. If nothing else it will be a good science lesson for my children. I have to say as many others on this site have, I have NEVER seen anything like this. I've lived in central Alabama my whole life (29 years), an... read more
R

RotorRanch

Fayetteville, GA | November 2010 | Neutral
This afternoon, while working on a car in my driveway, I picked up a piece of a 4x4 to use on the jack to raise the car. Under the 4x4 were about 30 roly-poly bugs, and this Land Planarian. I had no idea what it was so I got an old babyfood jar and put it in there. Later this evening I googled "flat worms in Gerogia" and found a description on a University of Florida site, then found this site. I figured I'd sign up here and report this worm, since I see none have been reported in Fayetteville, GA yet.

More pics here: http://s185.photobucket.com/albums/x247/Rotorranch/Critters/...

Rotor
d

danberg36

Riverside, CA | November 2010 | Positive
I found this worm attached to the back of my dog's front leg. The dog was very agitated and trying to get it off. When I took it off, it immediately attached it's mouth to my skin, so I believe it was leaching from my dog. This appears to be a leach (blood sucking) type of activity. I didn't leave it on my skin long enough to see if it would draw blood..... Anyone know if this is a leach of any kind?
T

TexasPuddyPrint

Edinburg, TX | September 2010 | Negative
UGH!!! Talk about ugggghhhhly!!! Rained lots and found one of these on the bottom of a potted plant. Had never seen one before - googled and came up with good ol' DG!!! Put it in a plastic container since I didn't know what it was - now that I do and am looking for it I can't find it in all the dirt I put in with it. Am going to give it to the local USDA at work. Don't want an earthworm eating predator in my yard! ~ Cat
T

Tmacias

Fresno, CA | September 2010 | Neutral
I had never seen one of these in my life. I live in Fresno CA. After moving a wet cardboard box I saw one of these worms. It was a good thing I didn't try to smash it up to kill it. I threw it back in the flower bed. Now, knowing what it is and does, I will be on the hunt to kill these things. I just hope I can keep them from messing up my garden when I plant it in a few weeks.
L

Leaper

Novato, CA | September 2010 | Neutral
Yesterday some kindergarteners found this worm on their play yard in Novato, CA. At first I thought it was a leech, which totally freaked me out. Now I know what it is and can share the info with them.
a

alfu

Gainesville, FL | June 2010 | Negative
Want to remove the clearcoat off of the paint job of your car? Drop one of these worms on it!
j

jeeper186

Sacramento, CA | June 2010 | Negative
Finding this hammerhead in my greenhouse. This morning I found about 10 of them eating a good worm. Guess this is why I have not seen as many worms this year in the garden. Now just to find out where to get that orange oil.. Thanks to everyone here helping each other with info.
r

rachelharris33

Brandon, MS | June 2010 | Neutral
06/03/2010 - Brandon, MS (Reservoir area)

My husband and I just found one of these on our living room floor - don't know how it got inside, but we initially thought it was a small snake, and then we thought it might be some sort of parasite. Glad to know that it's just a worm-eater and not gonna try to take up residence inside of any of us! We have it in a jar with water right now, and I will take pictures and upload them tomorrow. Like others who've posted here, we've recently gotten a ton of rain. Our creature is grayish-brown with several black stripes going longitudinally down his body, and a freaky triangular head. It is approx. 8-10 inches long, but hard to tell since he seems to like being all coiled up. GROSS!!
s

seekerc

Boswell, PA | May 2010 | Neutral
Just found 2 of these worms today. Never saw one ever before. One was attached to an earthworm.
s

sunnee1

Fontana, CA | May 2010 | Neutral
Fontana Cal, 5-17-10. I too was scared thought it was a cobra-a baby but still... the way it raised its head at me after i touched it-oh my, it was awful!
D

Dirtybird2337

Sharpsburg, GA | November 2009 | Neutral
I live in Sharpsburg GA in a subdivision and found this worm in my driveway last night. I have never seen one or heard of it before its about 12 inches long maybe longer glad to know there harmless . I was worried it had crawled out of one of the family pets it looked out of place on the driveway.(lol)
o

outlaw18

Montgomery, TX | October 2009 | Neutral
Add Montgomery, TX to your list! Confirmed Hammerhead worm! Laugh all you want... but, I have placed this lovely worm in a pickle jar for my daughter to take to school tomorrow! Hope it lives :-(! This is the second one we have seen here. Iit is at least 18+ inches long and is just plain nasty! It stuck to everything I used to pick it up with.... At first glance I also thought it was a snake... It was in my garage.. Thank goodness I had on house shoes!
d

dolphinboy2000

Murphy, NC | October 2009 | Positive
After my 9 year old son proudly walked into the house with his "new species" of worm today, I was thrilled to google and find such helpful, detailed info about this species on this site. He found it under a rock in the backyard after a lot of rain. Now that we've determined this isn't an undiscovered species, much to my son's dismay, the little critter has left my house and returned to the backyard :)
c

cediv

Holly Springs, NC | October 2009 | Negative
I would love to find out how to kill these without killing earthworms.
l

laineeden

Conway, AR | October 2009 | Negative
Conway, Arkansas
I have lived and gardened in the central part of Arkansas for 20 years, and this year is my first year to encounter this nasty pest. We have extremely poor soil quality, and the earthworms are suffering from this pest. Plus, we are the proud parents of four Pomeranians. These nasty predators get stuck in the coats of our dogs, requiring us to cut them out. Nasty vermin all the way around.
B

BenjaminRB

Peachtree City, GA | September 2009 | Negative
My son found these creatures crawling across our concrete walkway after a rain. We read about them here. Next, we performed an experiment. We found a small earthworm and placed it next to the plenaria worm. The small plenaria engulfed the earthworm quickly after wrapping its body around the earthworm. This is not a good sign for our earthworms. Subsequent to this discovery, we have sighted a few others crawling around our walkway.
p

petersonnb

Jacksonville, NC | September 2009 | Neutral
Found one of these on my kitchen floor this morning - scared me at first. Guess it wanted to come indoors, out of the wet weather we've had lately. I'd never even heard of it, until I looked it up on this website. Thanks for the great identification and info.
Nancy
Jacksonville, NC
U

Unicornlady65

Cornelia, GA | September 2009 | Neutral
I decided since we have had so much rain here in NE GA for the past week, that I would go out and do some weed killing since the GA red clay was soft. I looked up and saw this "snake-like" creature on the side of my house. I knocked it down and chopped it up with my shovel. Today while finishing up on the weed killing I found a lot more of them. I am glad to know they don't hurt humans, but they got to go! Thanks for the info about the salt, I keep a lot of salt around for those pesky slugs that crawl out of my bulb beds. I will try that to get rid of these nasty looking critters.Where can I get the orange oil? Hopefully, It will soak into the earth and help get rid of them.
s

slrjr

Los Angeles, CA | September 2009 | Neutral
8 inch hammerhead worm (brown with darker stripe) found on the patio in the early morning. Dragged it inside to show my husband..and then found it a new home in the garden.
j

jehman

San Diego, CA | September 2009 | Negative
Found one of these guys crossing the sidewalk one morning near a friends apartment complex in Del Mar, CA. I assume it can survive because of the excessive watering the apartment complex does every day. Invasive and predatory to earthworms.
C

CommanderKoenig

Sparta, TN | September 2009 | Neutral
I live in Tennessee and I just found two of these hammerhead worms. They were living under an old foam seat cushion that I was saving for a template. One of the hammers was around 8 inches and the other around 3 inches. This has to be the most sticky creature I have ever found, it stuck to everything I touched it with like glue. I have never seen this creature before, and I am a very outdoor oriented person. There are loads of slugs where I live and maybe those are what is getting feasted on ( I hope so ), however there is also a large population of earthworms and night crawlers here too. I love my earthworms and night crawlers , but I hate the slugs found here they eat my plants and my cat food. Not sure what to do here I guess I could poison the slugs , kill the hammerheads, and save my ... read more
m

maggiesmom03

Helena, AL | September 2009 | Neutral
We started finding these worms about 7 years ago when we moved to this property which used to be a pecan grove. In the last three days, I have killed 13 of them by pouring salt on them. We have wonderful soil because of the earth worms and they are definitely eating them. I would say we have seen/killed over 50 of them in the last 7 years but they are starting to increase in population suddenly. I think it is due to the moist summer we have had but I am seeing many over 12 inches long now! They are just creepy and disgusting.
K

KreexRamoo

Lincoln Park, NJ | September 2009 | Neutral
I spoke to the University of Flordia whome did a large research on this Flat Worm and did not seem to care about the fact that this worm is found fairly commonly over the last few years in my area of NJ. Sadly this year I havent gone out at 2am to find any due to work. They tell me they cant live here but they do. Impressive critters. I added a picture to the database if anyone wants to see it.

Also I am a collector and study entimology as a hobby.. If anyone could get some and send to me, I'd be more then happy to pay for them.I'd like to have em for observation and tests.

E-mail me @ [email protected] if your intrested.
l

lancesfinds

Altoona, PA | August 2009 | Positive
My son found this on a tarp we moved which had some wet leaf litter under it. We were kind of freaked out not knowing what it was. The positive note was in finding this web site and the pictures which enabled us to correctly identify this unusual 'bug'. Although this creature may attack the earthworm population, we rather hope it will be attacking the large snail and slug population which devastated a large portion of our garden this year.
c

colaik

Longview, TX | August 2009 | Neutral
I live in Texas and was planting a clipping from a black magic elephant ear when I saw some at the location of where I was moving the clipping. I have lots of cannas and I keep seeing the leaves sticking and not unfurling. When I open the leaves myself I see lots of eggs. I suppose these are the eggs of the "hammerhead worm." Cannas love lots of water so I fugure thats where mine came from.
y

ysarfati44

Anaheim, CA | August 2009 | Neutral
Eeeeww! What a creature! I found this monstrous-looking worm in my living room. It was more than a foot long. I'm guessing it came in from under the front door. My apartment door is near the main sprinkler system. Like many other folks here, I thought it was a snake at first. Thank goodness for this site! I Googled "hammerhead worm or snake" and here we are.
Right after posting the above post I found another one coming in from under the door. Yuck! I have the heeby-jeebies now. I wonder if sprinkling salt or orange oil on my threshold will keep them out. Any ideas or comments would be welcomed. Thanks!
a

ashvlgrl

North Charleston, SC (Zone 8a) | August 2009 | Negative
I'm going to assume that I have the type that eat slugs since I found them amidst quite a few slugs on my front porch. I almost regretted killing them (tissue & toilet, no chopping) until I found they eat earthworms. I have enough issues trying to grow things in this heat and humidity without adding something that kills my good bugs!
t

tsilke

Santa Clarita, CA | July 2009 | Neutral
add santa clarita CA to the list!!!! 99% positive i first got the worm from a wisteria i planted as it showed up 24 hours later and it was very dry that summer. chopped him in two cuz he looked liked a parasite and put him in a plastic bag to show the hubby. by the tiime he got home 2 days later, there were two in the bag!!! crazy crazy ugly thing!
G

GGK86

Cumming, GA | July 2009 | Negative
First time I have ever seen one of these - spent all my life in N. GA. If it would just eat the darn slugs that are eating my hostas I would love him but... gotta die because they can destroy earthworm population.
m

monica_mxc

Stockbridge, GA | July 2009 | Neutral
I have never in my life seen this thing. I didn't know if it was a snake or worm or what. My son found it and called it a shovel worm. He found it under a rock by our tomato garden. Now that I know what it is, I'm not worried about it. It was very interesting to watch. It moves it's head kind of like a caterpillar trying to figure out which way to go.
d

darlafarmer

Natchez, MS | May 2009 | Neutral
We found this worm making his way acrossmy sidewalk in Natchez, Mississippi this morning. Made a couple pictures and googled him up! Very strange looking, and about 8-10 inches long with very narrow stripes down the body. Have seen many unusual critters inthe 15 years on thios property but the hammerhead is the first of this kind!
J

JRHunt

Easley, SC | May 2009 | Neutral
A co-worker pointed one of these out to me on a jobsite in Clinton South Carolina two days ago. Neither of us had ever seen anything like it and our first thoughts were that it was some kind of parisite that had escaped from its host. I am relieved to have found this site and find the information here.
b

bama76

Dothan, AL (Zone 8b) | May 2009 | Neutral
I am so glad this site exists. Tonight, my husband spotted this worm on our back door. We got the flashlight out and tried to figure out exactly what we were looking at - snake, slug, worm? We googled "worm hammerhead" and were relieved to see this page and all the comments. This area has experienced lots of rain the past several days (and experienced flooding conditions 2 months ago). We live near a drainage ditch and wooded areas, so maybe that's where it came from. Very interesting indeed!
t

tucker6262

Helena, AL | May 2009 | Neutral
Thank you for this site!!! It has been raining here a pretty good bit the past couple of weeks and my sons were both outside with their daddy and found this worm that looked like a tape worm or a baby snake. We weren't sure what it was and my 5 year old said it looked like a hammerhead so that's what we googled and your site came up and gave up a picture. We found it on our driveway and a couple of inches behind it was a half eaten slug GROSS! Now with everyone here's info I will look for the rest of them
T

TheGreenPlumber

Long Beach, CA | May 2009 | Negative
Long Beach, California. Very interesting creature. My son and I found a larger one (two inches) and four or five smaller ones, balled together under a plant pot with slugs and sal bugs. We have seen them over the last few seasons. It is interesting how it lifts its "head" and sweeps around, similar to a snake. We teased the Wife, telling her it was a tapeworm, looking to her for lunch....

After researching online, we have decided to "off them", as we have an organic garden and have done our best to keep earthworms working hard. If there is a reason for NOT doing so, please let us know.

thanks,
Timothy
C

Cathyntx

Paris, TX | May 2009 | Negative
It has been raining here profusely in the last week or so, and my husband came in the house this afternoon to report there was a small snake on the patio. Thanks to a recent Dirt Doctor (Howard Garrett) newsletter, I was able to identify this hammerhead worm. The newsletter warned that if the worm was cut in half, it would reconstruct itself unless put in full strength orange oil. I had some and did put both cut halves in the orange oil. However, in the next couple of hours, another larger worm of this type showed up on the patio. Since I'm not really crazy about hands on treatments with creatures, I decided to try a salt layer. Started with the head and as soon as the salt hit it, the worm gave a jerk, and I continued down the body, covering the body of the worm with the salt. Work... read more
c

cvlaw

Honolulu, HI | January 2009 | Neutral
saw this thing on the walkway outside my door this morning, about 5 inches long, very skinny, brown and slimy looking. I got down on my hands and knees to get a good look at it, at first i thought it was a small centipede or snake... it reminded me of a hammerhead shark so I googled hammerhead worm and found this site. the landlord does a bit of gardening and may have brought it in with some plants or soil or maybe it's common here in Hawaii, sounds like this is a good climate for it. It's been raining a lot and the grass is wet. I hope i don't see any more of them, it doesn't sound like it's good for the yard.
T

Tecumseh57

Escondido, CA | November 2008 | Positive
The site hellped me identify something I had never seen before. I grew up in Ohio, have lived in Virginia, Hawaii, VIetnam, Germany, Korea, and California. I have lived in the Escondido area about 10 years and found this 6 to 8 inch long critter on my concrete driveway a day after 1.4 inches. I googled a guessed at name, "hammer head worm" and was immediately rewarded with your site a picture and a name. Thanks.
w

woodelf60

Heber Springs, AR | October 2008 | Negative
Found one of these in the backyard,under a tarp. Had no idea what it was at first. Wild looking,but from what I'm finding,it's non-native,invasive,and eats earthworms,so don't think I like this fella too much.
k

kids5

Parkesburg, PA | October 2008 | Neutral
I found one of these worms in my house this morning. My dog was outside and must have brought it in on him, and he rubbed up against my comforter on my bed and there is where I found it. But the weirdest thing about it I automatically thought that my dogs had worms and I called the vet and took it to them to have them check it out for me. And in the long run it was a relief that there wasn't anything wrong with my dogs. But the thing that gets me is that I don't live around any water, or don't have a pond in my yard for these worms to be around. And it hasn't rained here for a few weeks. So why am I finding them around here now. I've lived here for 8 years and this is the 1st on I have ever seen!!!!
Are they harmful to animals or humans. I have kids and don't want anything to happe... read more
t

thymes2bme

Meridian, MS | October 2008 | Neutral
Thank goodness I found this web site. I have found eight of these worms on my patio since the spring. I took one to the local co-op here in Meridian, Ms. They seemed to think it was some type of tapeworm. I have researched for all kinds of worms and finally found this website and some pictures, which helps me tremendously. Thank You.
d

ddgunn

Mena, AR | October 2008 | Neutral
Gross. We found ours crawling across our front door last night. I have never seen one before. Needless to say, I had to find out what it was and here I am.
j

jdf04

Yorktown, VA | October 2008 | Neutral
I found a shovel head worm in my flower bed this morning while doing some gardening. I had never seen one and wondered if it was a small snake of some sort when I first saw it. Then as I looked closer I came to the conclusion it was some sort of worm. Then I wondered if it might be something that might damage the garden, so I moved it out of the yard into the woods.
s

skyebc1

Clayton, NC | October 2008 | Negative
we are organic gardners dependent on earthworms. When we found this critter on our pathway we allowed him to go to critter heaven. Simply letting the worm dry out on a sheet of paper is effective.
m

mollimae

Lodi, CA | October 2008 | Neutral
my husband just build 3 large 12x5 planter boxes to use for veggie gardening ... tonight we let the water run for about 10 minutes in one in preparation for planting seeds .... when out from under this box came "THREE" of these ugly flathead worms ..... about 4" each..... i've never seen anything like them before .... immediately we smashed them .... i like the idea that they eat slugs and snails .... but what about the earth worms .... and i really don't want to have any 12-24 inches long ... should we continue to "SMASH" them .... we bought soil and compost for these boxes and assume that's how they arrived .... any suggestions ???
j

jake1983

Farmersville, CA | September 2008 | Neutral
I found this worm on my patio after I watered my yard, it was about 10" long with two dark brown lines down its back and it was a light brown color. I have never seen one here before and I have lived here 25 years.
C

CuriousCritter

Waxhaw, NC | September 2008 | Negative
It just rained a lot and my children found these strange worms all over the place outside. I was pleased to read so many reports and view pictures on this website. I had never seen anything like it! I would not like all of our beneficial earthworms eaten so we are eliminating them with oarnge oil which works immediately. I hate killing things but these sound like they are bad news!
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erikfx4

Portsmouth, VA | September 2008 | Neutral
I found this in my bathroom and thought it was a parasitic worm like the flat worm. It was about 4 inches long. It just rained quite a bit which fits with it's documented behavior. I'm glad it's not a parasite!
o

organic1

DFW Metroplex, TX (Zone 8a) | September 2008 | Negative
Land planarians eat earthworms. They should be destroyed. Do not cut them up as they will regenerate heads and multiply. Best to squish them or spray them with a mixture of orange oil (d'limonene) and water. 2 oz. of the orange oil to one gallon of water should be sufficient.
c

caddogurl95

Karnack, TX | September 2008 | Neutral
Found three of these worms in my garden at Karnack Tx. One of them was eating a slug. They were all light brown and had a dark green stripe running down their back and they left slime trails.
L

Lonlon

| September 2008 | Neutral
I live in New Zealand and found one of these bizare creatures under the incinerator.
J

Jiny

(Zone 10a) | September 2008 | Negative
Found one in my garden here in Ibaraki Japan and worried about the earthworms in my soil that are so beneficial.
S

STARCROC2000

Saint Augustine, FL | September 2008 | Neutral
I LIVE IN A COASTAL OAK HAMMOCK AND FOUND THESE WORMS BY THE HUNDREDS UNDER DAMP LEAF LITTER. I THOUGHT THEY WERE LAND BLOOD SUCKERS. THANK GOODNESS THEY ARE JUST WORMS.
r

rwhart

Chapel Hill, NC | September 2008 | Neutral
Saw a hammerhead worm this Monday morning in Raleigh, NC around 8:00 on a concrete sidewalk. Hanna (Tropical Storm) had come through Friday/Saturday and dumped 5 inches of rain on us.
v

village1diot

Vacaville, CA (Zone 9b) | September 2008 | Positive
I guess I'll be the first to post a positive for this "Slug Killing Carnivore". Anything that gets the slugs before the slugs get my seedlings is a definite positive.
k

kenju99

Raleigh, NC | August 2008 | Neutral
I found one of these on the tile beside my pool on August 27, 2008, after a heavy rain.
A

Astraya

Ithaca, NY | August 2008 | Neutral
I have a question when I lived in Mississippi - Moss Point on the Gulf Coast... I went to my car one day and one of the worm snake things I see here .... basically attacked my leg
It snapped around my leg it was about 12 inches long and as soon as it attacked I swiped at it and screamed... it fell apart immediately... but left a mark on my leg.... it was slimy and had black strips down its back and has a twoheaded or one head curved similar to the pictures here... I was on my porch which is a cool area from the sun and back driveway... I didn't know what it was and no one believed me that I had been bite by it...but because I had a mark the doctor put me on antibotics... my question is can this thing be dangerous to a human...like reproduce in us or something... that would be a horr... read more
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cherva

Corinth, TX | July 2008 | Neutral
We live in Denton and have all sorts of crazy critters, we found one of these worm in a very shaded bed. My six year old thought we found a baby cobra.
l

lobla

Hollywood, FL | July 2008 | Neutral
It's7:30 PM and my husband says come and look at this worm it has a hammerhead, it was on our sliding glass door
and as we were watching this one we saw another one down
below. We had so much rain today we are even on a flood watch so it makes sense about the humid environment.
My first thought was that this was some kind of mutation so i googled it and found there's really such a species.
d

domgar

Brandon, FL | July 2008 | Neutral
In the past 15 years I have only seen two or three around my house.
d

ddj0195

Coral Springs, FL (Zone 10b) | July 2008 | Negative
We are in Coral Springs, FL 33071, about two miles from the Everglades boundary canal. Just found two of Bipalium vagum on the rim of my waterfalls and in the water of one of the cascade basins. The falls feed water to my fish pond which contains fancy goldfish and Apple Snails. Finding out that this obscene creatute is an invasive species is bad enough, without finding out that of the four types, this one prefers my Apple Snails. One of my prize fish has also taken an unidentified illness. What would happen if my fish cjhow down on these things? After all, the Bipalium vagum is equally at home under water as it is on the rocks and soil around the pond.
r

roybears

Castro Valley, CA | July 2008 | Negative
Predatory flatworm that feeds on earthworms. I just discovered one-- came out after we watered our lawn-- Castro Valley, CA
d

degauss

Sherrills Ford, NC | July 2008 | Neutral
My son-in-law found this and thought it was weird enough to bring over & show to me & my husband. I just searched on 'hammerhead worm" to see if there was really such a thing, or if it was some knd of mutant. Very strange bug!
t

trinketsmom

Newport, NC | June 2008 | Neutral
Found one just yesterday under an outside faucet. Have never seen anything like it.
n

ncgirliegirl

New Bern, NC | May 2008 | Neutral
I found this worm wrapped around my cats tail this morning. I thought it was a small snake and proceeded to scream at my husband to come out of the house and look at it. When I noticed its head was flat like a hammerhead I then knew it wasnt a snake. It was about 10 inches in length. I have lived in Eastern NC for 30 years now and have never seen anything remotely close. Kind of a strange creature.
R

Revelations

Porter, TX | January 2008 | Neutral
This was our first time to see the Hammerhead Worm. It was on our patio in Porter, Texas and at least 10" long. It is brown. Thanks for your website to help us identify this worm. We have put it in a fruit jar so now I know to add some water also. Don't know what we will do with it but we surely will not let it divide!
M

MMinto

Chino Hills, CA | December 2007 | Neutral
91709 Chino Hills, I went searching for a specimen soon after a period of strong rain. I found several and have been keeping them in captivity attempting to oberve their behavior. This region should be added to their widespread habitat: Chino Hills CA, 91709
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WJMPSL

Port Saint Lucie, FL | November 2007 | Neutral
Saw one today while bringing out the trash. It was under some cardboard. Went in to get a camera but it was gone when I got back. I just started a worm box so I don't want these around.
m

maccionoadha

Halifax, MA (Zone 6a) | October 2007 | Negative
These flatworms have devastated the earthworm populations in parts of the UK. Many farmers fields have been destroyed, because there are no earthworms left to aerate the soil. If you find them DO NOT CUT THEM UP! They will only regenerate and the smaller bits will turn into new ones. I'm trying to locate a way to eradicate them without harming the earthworms. No luck, so far.
UPDATE: Orange oil will kill them. You can buy online Orange Oil Concentrate manufactured by Medina Orange Oil. I know Amazon.com carries it. You can find more places to buy, by Google-ling 'orange oil concentrate'.
p

pumoxy

Dallas, TX | October 2007 | Neutral
I've never seen this worm before in Dallas, TX. I found it on my front door step by a bed of flowers. I'm glad to know that it will not eat my flowers. Please add Dallas, TX to your regional list.
J

JCTX

Nederland, TX | October 2007 | Neutral
Found this worm for the first time earlier in the week on our driveway. There were 3 of them and they were amost 2ft in length each. Thought at first it was snakes. When my son cut them up they reproduced and keep going. Just found another one near the front door today. Want to know more about these bugs and are they any threat of any kind?
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easterlilly

Heath, OH | September 2007 | Neutral
I seen this worm in my flower bed after a rainy day
it was a yellowish brown color with a brown stripe down the back its the first time ive ever seen on and ive lived in Ohio
all my life
X

Xanxer

| August 2007 | Neutral
The picture I posted shows a worm with a dark purple body at the end, then getting lighter and turning into a creamish color up to the head.
This photo was taken in Tokyo, Japan!
a

alyrics

Beachwood, OH | July 2007 | Negative
Found them in several damp places across my gardens, and under pots. Found a cache of them near my compost bins where there are lots of earthworms. I think they came in from greenhouse plants. I've read that they eat earthworms, hence my negative rating. Plus they are just ugly for whatever that's worth.
y

yotedog

Raleigh, NC | July 2007 | Neutral
Found in an unfinished basement (damp, but dry concrete floor) in Raleigh, NC in July. The nearest entry point would have been a sump pump, and the worm was quite dry when found. Has a protuberance from the ventral surface--not sure what that is (see pic), but possibly the mouth?
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wormsci

Cortland, NY | July 2007 | Neutral
There are four different species of these Bipalium flatworms currently found in the US. Three eat only earthworms; one eats snails and slugs. Bipalium kewense is found across the southern states and may get over 10 inches. It has five dark stripes along the back including a thin middle stripe. Bipalium adventitium is found across the northern states, reaching about 4 inches. It has one narrow dark stripe on the back. Bipalium vagum is the mollusk eater now found in the southeastern US. It has a three thick dark stripes, a dark neck collar, and two dark head spots.
A researcher (Pete Ducey) at the State University of NY (Biology Dept) is studying the spread and effects of these invasive flatworms. He welcomes questions and reports of sightings.
a

ami75

Elk Grove, CA | July 2007 | Neutral
We found this worm for the first time in our garden today in Elk Grove, Ca. We also saw it reproduce, as it's tale broke off and the 1 inch offspring moved around immediately. I have posted a photo.
G

Greenraven

| July 2007 | Neutral
My mother found one of these planarians on Crestview Dr., in Gulfport, Mississippi.

It was grey, 10 inches long, no stripes. The year was 1971.
T

TxSuzy

The Colony, TX | July 2007 | Neutral
I have just noticed these flathead worms near a faucet in my yard. I believe they may have been brought in with soil and rocks added to my lawn last year.
j

jostoich

Sacramento, CA (Zone 9a) | July 2007 | Neutral
I saw these type of worms for the first time when I moved to Sacramento in 2000. I'd never seen one before and wondered what they were. I haven't seen any the past 2 years, perhaps because of the dryer conditions.
K

KyWoods

Highland Heights, KY (Zone 6a) | May 2007 | Neutral
I found a planarian in our pond last year--don't know if it's the same kind, but looks a lot like it. Should I add my zip code to the list?
s

spmellen

Long Beach, MS (Zone 9a) | April 2007 | Neutral
Found this worm in Long Beach, Mississippi. Had never seen before. Was about 4 inches long.
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Magpye

NW Qtr, AR (Zone 6a) | October 2006 | Neutral
Also known as the Kew Greenhouse Flatworm.

This land planarian is slender and brown, with five dark longitudinal stripes; it can be large, up to 10 inches in length. The species is 'hammer-headed'. The head is shovel-shaped (wider than body) and there are numerous minute eyes along its border.

The species was discovered in 1878 in the greenhouses of Kew Gardens near London, hence its scientific name.

It has a wide distribution in warm climates. It needs a moist habitat and is usually encountered near outdoor water faucets, where the soil often remains wet. It original home is unknown but is possibly the Indo-Malayan region.

Flatworms are hermaphroditic. The eggs are encapsulated and affixed to objects in damp places. These are ... read more
D

DonnaA2Z

Jacksonville, FL (Zone 9a) | September 2006 | Neutral
This "worm" is usually only seen during very high humidity situations, such as a lot of rain. They are usually found in cool, dark, moist areas. They eat earth worms, slugs, snails, insect larvae, and are even cannibalistic. They usually move and feed at night. They can survive desiccation only if water loss does not exceed 45 percent of their body weight. They have been found commonly in American greenhouses since 1901. Their mouth, which also serves as an anus, is present near mid-body on the ventral surface.

Colors of Florida species range from greenish-grey to brown with dark narrow stripes on the dorsal side. Sometimes they are yellow or blue in other areas of the country.
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Featured
Lachenalia'Pearsonii'
(Lachenalia aloides)
Crab Spider
(Thomisus sp.)
Barn Swallow
(Hirundo rustica)