Worm in Bathroom Might be a Terrestrial Flatworm

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We recently received the classic question from one of our readers. She asked, “What kind of worm is this?” In addition to sending in a photograph of the worm in question, our reader explained that she has found a single worm (perhaps the same exact one or just a look alike, she didn’t specify) randomly on her bathroom floor every few months. According to our reader the worm has light vertical stripes on its back and its belly is an off-white color. It is no more than 2 inches long and it is quite thin. Our reader would also like to know if the worm in harmful.

We believe the mysterious worm our reader is dealing with might be a terrestrial flatworm. Terrestrial flatworms, also known as land planarians, belong to the Geoplanidae family. Some species of terrestrial flatworms are dull colors like grey and brown, while others have bright and distinct patterns. They also vary a lot in size. Some flatworms are mere millimeters long, and some grow to be a meter long! Terrestrial flatworms are mainly predators of other invertebrates, which they hunt in quite a brutal way by using the adhesive and digestive properties of their mucus.

We aren’t completely convinced that the creature our reader found is a flatworm. Although it does match all the physical descriptions of a terrestrial flatworm, we don’t know why this flatworm would be in our reader’s home and bathroom. Terrestrial flatworms usually live in soil or leaf litter, and they need a moist environment because they are very sensitive to dehydration. Therefore, a home isn’t an ideal environment for a flatworm. Of course, this doesn’t stop flatworms and other organisms from visiting a reader’s house every once in a while!

To wrap up, one of our readers discovered a brown worm in her bathroom. We think this creature might be a flatworm, which are not harmful towards humans.

 

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Worm in Bathroom Might be a Terrestrial Flatworm
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Worm in Bathroom Might be a Terrestrial Flatworm
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One of our readers discovered a brown worm in her bathroom. We think this creature might be a flatworm, which are not harmful towards humans.
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Author: Worm Researcher Dori

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