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Project Noah Nature School
Gordiacea (Nematomorphora)
12" long needle thin worm found in mulch. Dry to the touch & very wriggly - It was literally tying itself in knots while I was holding it taking photos. It's currently living in a bucket while I try & ID it & find out if it is a friend or foe!
Some more info! These worms have an interesting life cycle beginning as eggs in water. When an insect, such as a roach, cicada, beetle, grasshopper, or cricket, eats a worm cyst, the cyst hatches releasing the larval worm. The parasitic larva eats its' host and develops into an adult worm throughout the year. When the host is ready to die, it goes to water. As it comes in contact with water, the adult worm (which can be up to 2 feet long!) leaves the host's body. When the male and female mate, the female lays her eggs in the water and the cycle starts all over again.
I'm not sure how this one ended up so far from water though!
Wow ulvalactuca77, I just checked out a video on youtube - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Df_iGe_JS...
As you say, disturbing yet very interesting to watch. It is amazing that the host was alive until the point the worm eclosed!
There are videos of these creatures escaping their hosts on youtube if you care to investigate. As a warning, I find them slightly disturbing but also amazing.
That must have been an amazing sight Aahangar! You have described them very well- this one was very dry & rigid - I was surprised at the strength of such a fragile looking creature!
about 15 years ago once I was stuck for few days in the north side of Salang pass which connects Kabul to north of Afghanistan. there was raining and storm. after few days the clouds disappeared and sun was shining. suddenly thousands of this thin worm; exactly like as they are in the pictures, appeared every where. they were very dry and rigid.
It's the first one I've ever seen Emma - I've just released him back into the garden! :)
Argy Bee, I was lucky to spot it - I though it was an elastic band at first!
Carol, yes very bizarre! It's been a weird couple of days - my first US slug, a stink bug, bizarre worm, dead turtle....!
Thanks Leuba!
Lori, I'm glad I didn't get to see what poor creature was it's host!
I found one in my fish pond once, and was so freaked by it that I took it to a biologist friend to identify. It came out of a grasshopper that died in the pond.
Nice series of pics btw... and wouldn't it be just too easy to cut one of these by accident!
Spotted on Dec 20, 2011
Submitted on Dec 20, 2011
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