When you think of worms, you probably don’t have many positive thoughts associated to this creature!
If anything, you probably aren’t too big a fan of them, or you just think they’re annoying and harmless.
But the truth is that these creatures have more complexity to them than you think!
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The hammerhead worm in particular is a particularly misunderstood and underestimated creepy crawly!
Also known as flatworms, these little tykes are part of the Bipalium genus and are categorized as invasive creatures in the US and Europe.
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“But, why?” I hear you ask. No, they don’t attack of infect humans.
But you know what they do? They eat earthworms!
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You might be even more stumped now. Who cares if they eat earthworms? They’re pests too, right? Wrong!
Earthworms are actually incredibly important for the ecosystem and can even be said to be completely essential to healthy plant life and growth.
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Seriously, without earthworms, the ecosystem could be horribly damaged!
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Why are these worms so vital?
They cultivate the soil, which is where plants – at the base of the food chain – grow.
If they are unable to keep the soil healthy, then plants will not grow, smaller animals will be unable to feed off of plants, and larger animals won’t be able to eat smaller animals.
It’s a vicious cycle!
Hammerhead worms track earthworms and then stick them in place with a kind of fluid, then they hold the earthworms down.
After that, they release neurotoxins that completely liquefy the bodies of earthworms for consumption. Eww!
Without earthworms, nature wouldn’t thrive as it does now – and with hammerhead worms around, those earthworms are in danger!
I bet you didn’t know it was so hard to be a worm!
Share away, people!