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Project Noah Nature School
Bipalium kewense Moseley
This is a Hammerhead worm which has lost it's head. It was moving very normally and did not seem disoriented at all. 'Worms regrow their decapitated heads, along with the memories inside" http://www.theverge.com/2013/7/10/451058...
Thanks Mark for helping with the ID!
Spotted on Sep 14, 2013
Submitted on Sep 14, 2013
12 Comments
yikes indeed, Suzanne!
Yikes!
Head less Horseman.
Thanks so much Mark.
They regenerate,Feed by protruding their pharynx,and use "avoidance" as a means of staying safe. They have chemical receptors to detect prey.
The 'hammerhead' species are probably introduced to the US from SE Asia. There are other amazing facts about these. Although they look slow moving, they detect prey with chemical 'radar' and quickly overpower it with brute force, a bit like a tiny boa constrictor. They will tackle prey 10 times their size. Check this fantastic spotting of a killer in action http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/176...
This is really turning out to be a very interesting organism, reminds me of the hydra monster.
I know that amoebas do, but we don't see the heads like this one so clearly. It is definitely spooky...
Amazing! Thanks for the info :)
This is turning spooky. Interesting as it is!!
Definitely a flat worm. It wouldn't surprise if they kept going without a head for a while if it lost it. One amazing thing is they can be split lengthways or across and both parts can become new flatworms.
Stac,here is a link which shows that they regenerate a new head with a brain and do not loose data.
http://www.theverge.com/2013/7/10/451058...
It does look like the top bit has been chopped off somehow!