“What is this?” asks Amanda in her submission regarding the organism pictured below. “How is it luminous and segmented, in so many colors? Is that a second eyeball half way down its body or a second head? It’s about the size of a cat hair, small to medium in length.” To answer Amanda’s first question, we have no idea what this is. Not only does the description of the worm not sound familiar to us, but the photo is too blurry for us to make out any identifying information. All we can see from the photo is that the worm is very thin, indeed like “cat hair”, and that it does possess the luminescence that Amanda describes. But we cannot think of any worms that are hair-thin, luminous, multicolored, and segmented.

“Today I found this kind of worm on a beach (underwater by the rocks) and I’m wondering what it is,” writes Nuno in his submission regarding the black and white-striped creature pictured below. “Can you please help me? Thanks!” Firstly, we want to thank Nuno for the fantastic picture. The lighting and resolution are so good that we get a lot of identifying information from this photo: such as the the minute white stripes that form incomplete circles around its body, the inconsistent shape of its body, and even down to the texture of its skin (or at least, the kind of texture it looks to have). Secondly, we definitely can help Nuno given that he provided such a good photo and a vital piece of context: he found the worm on the beach.

“I found this caterpillar crawling on this rock outside my garage”, writes this reader in her submission regarding the black and yellow creature pictured below. “I live in Central Minnesota. I haven’t been able to identify it and I’m hoping you can tell me what it is? Thank you!” To start with, we want to thank our reader right back for this absolutely incredible photo! It is photos like these that make identifying the organisms we are asked about so much easier. Besides, they make a wonderful addition to our library. And because of this, we can indeed tell our reader what this is. This is a dogwood sawfly larva.

“What is this?” asks this reader in her submission regarding the brown, segmented, worm-like creature pictured below. “We found some small doughnut shaped eggs in our sandbox and we watched one of them hatch into an inch-long caterpillar! Here is a photo of the egg and one of the hatched larva!” Based on the excellent photo of the critter itself, we would say these are tomato pinworms, a type of moth caterpillar that, as their name suggests, eat tomatoes. They also eat potatoes and eggplants, as well as different types of weeds. With that said, tomato pinworm eggs do not look like the ones our reader found. The doughnut shape reminds us more of gall wasp eggs. However, gall wasp larvae do not look like the creature our reader found: they are white in color.

“This was in my toilet, not seen until after I went to the bathroom”, writes Ginger in her submission regarding the dark green worm pictured below. “I’m concerned whether it’s a human worm or parasite? Or was it lurking in the toilet unnoticed before I used the toilet?” Now, there are a plethora of worms and worm-like organisms that can come up through people’s toilets. The reason for this is usually because there is a leak somewhere underground in the piping through which the worms enter. Ginger will be able to notice that there is a leak if she notices one of many of the following signs: discolored water, foul-smelling or -tasting water, and inconsistencies in water pressure and temperature.

“I pray you receive some of my emails and can help with identifying these”, writes this reader in his submission regarding the two, distinctly different-looking organisms pictured below. “I have hours of digital footage on a cheap microphone and so many pics. I live in Richmond Hill, Georgia.” Firstly, we have to point out that, from what we can tell by looking at these photos, it looks like they were taken through a microscope. We cannot know that for certain, but when we compare it to other submissions we have received where the photos were taken like that, the similarity is significant. In any case, the photos have a strange quality about them.

“I found a similar article about white worms in terrariums, but I wanted to be sure I had the same bugs!” exclaims this reader in her submission regarding the translucent worms pictured below. “These white worms don’t appear to be actively moving, and I just noticed them today after having made this terrarium from moss from my yard last month. There’s the white worms, and then another two that appear different. One is browner and looks to have antennae, and the other appears to have legs? I don’t want my other house plants to get infected! This moss was harvested from Pittsburgh, PA.”

“I found this bright red worm in my bathroom sink (washbasin)”, writes this reader in her submission regarding the striped worm-like creature pictured below. “1) Should I be worried? Are they dangerous? 2) Did it come from the tap, therefore possibly from the house’s water tank? Or did it come up from the drain? 3) What steps should I take?” To start with, we want to compliment our reader on the fantastic photo, as well as the great questions she asked. They are all fantastic questions to ask when finding a worm, or any kind of unknown organism. In our opinion, this looks like it could be a California blackworm.

This reader found “weird, clear-looking worms” in her home, and attached the photo below in her submission. They are “about a centimeter to two inches long. They look like a clear piece of string, all over my clothes and house. They wiggle around and almost have a dot for a face or head.” To start with, we have to say that we cannot see the worm in the photo. All we see is our reader’s thumb and knee. This is likely because the worms are so thin, and are translucent, but nonetheless, without being able to see the worm in the photo, we cannot provide a confident or accurate identification. Of course, we will still do our best to help our reader identify this creature.

“I have found these “worms” on the roof of my extension”, writes this reader about the thick, grayish green, worm-like creature pictured below. “They only come out when it rains, but there are lots of them! What are they? How can I get rid of them?” Firstly, we want to commend our reader on the excellent photo she sent in, as well as the helpful context and excellent questions. Secondly, we have come to an identification of this creature. We think she found a cranefly larva. Crane flies, typically referred to as ‘flying daddy long legs’ or giant mosquitoes, are neither of these two creatures: neither spiders nor mosquitoes. Which is a good thing! Crane flies are completely harmless to humans and pets.

“What is this worm?” is all this reader asks in her submission regarding the orange, worm-shaped object pictured below. The thing looks rather goopy; we might even go so far as to say it does not look completely solid. As much as our reader has captured a striking photo, we must say right off the bat that we have no idea what this is. It doesn’t seem to have any distinguishable features, like eyespots, segmentations, appendages, or varying coloration. It just looks like a cream-colored blob. On top of that, without any context whatsoever, we would not be able to identify the creature based on any other factors.

“Are these worms?” asks Rene in their submission regarding the pink object pictured below. “This is a high resolution photo of ‘debris’ in my shower drain and in my bathroom that are not visible to the naked eye. Thank you.” Rene sent in multiple photos, the first of which we included below (and the only one showing a worm-like organism), and we are not sure which photo Rene is referring to as being “high resolution”, or if they accidentally forgot to send in that picture, because none of the photos included in the submission were high resolution. Like the photo below, they were all very blurry.

“This morning I found dozens of tiny worms on the cement in my backyard”, writes Suzanna about the darkly-colored, worm-like creature pictured below. “They are about a half inch to maybe a little shy of an inch. The article “Segmented, Black Worm-like Critter with Spiky Rear and Huge Eyespots” had an image of the closest thing I could find online that looks like them, except instead of four spikes these little guys only have two tiny “spikes” that look barely more than two well-defined tips. But the color and texture of their body and shape are exactly the same as the reader’s critter, perhaps slightly lighter in color. I’ve attached a few pictures. I live in the Piedmont area of North Carolina and I’ve never seen these before and I’m particularly interested because it’s winter, and although yesterday’s high was 65 F, last night temperatures were in the high 30s. Could you please help me identify these? Should I be concerned, especially since there are literally dozens of them that suddenly appeared overnight?”

“What kind of worm is this?” asks this reader about the black and red-striped, worm-like creature pictured below. “It’s about 3-to-4-inches long, found in Pottsboro, Texas on grass and asphalt.” To start with, we want to thank our reader for the incredible photo! Photos like this, that are crisp and clear, and taken in good lighting, really help us identify the creature fast. Which brings us to the identity of this magnificent creature: this is an American giant millipede. When you say the word ‘millipede’, or ‘centipede’ (cousin of the millipede), to anyone, they are likely to shiver, let alone when you say ‘giant millipede’.

“What are these?” is all Judah asks in his submission regarding the translucent worm-like creatures pictured below. The creatures seem to have black heads and a dark stripe on their bodies, which, given their translucent skin, appears to be their entrails. Even though Judah does not provide any context along with his photo, which is usually essential to us narrowing down a given creature’s possible identities, we are able to identify these critters based on their appearance. We think these are fungus gnat larvae.

“Please help me identify these”, writes Erin about the white, worm-like critters pictured below. “I was doing my weekly sweep and hand mop and found a bunch of these in the dining room by the window. I don’t see any place of entry and I do not know what they are. They have fat little bodies and a reddish brown face. They were all around my table on the floor, over a dozen.” Firstly, we just want to express our empathy with Erin: it really is an unpleasant surprise when you find creatures in your home that were not invited. Secondly, we want to thank her for the great photo she sent in. It really helps us narrow down the possible identifications.

“I found these in my horse trough”, writes Karen about the red worm-like critters pictured below. “They seem to have ‘casings’ of some sort that seem to be ‘absorbed’ by the plastic/rubber trough itself. There are strange “scratch lines” on the side of the trough, and these lines I have noticed elsewhere in my barn. Is it a pinworm? Can pinworms be transmitted through different types of materials? Please, tell me everything. I am in Stafford, Virginia, and these worms were in water. It is October, and the weather has been pleasant. There was recently a huge amount of rain with Hurricane Ian. Can these worms get into wood? Is this the larval stage of something else? Thank you!”

“I found your website on Google and hope you could help me with the worm in the attached photo”, writes Diane in Japan about the little greenish grey creature pictured below. “It is grey with a black head, no legs. I am located in Aichi, Japan, and this is the second time I found it in my house (last night, first time): one time on the wall, the other on the object near the same wall. Both times were around 8 or 9 pm, when the temperature went down to about 26 degrees Celsius. One of my friends said it looked like those you find in vegetables. But it doesn’t explain why I find it two nights in a row when there’s no uncooked vegetables kept in the open air? they are all in the fridge which is three meters away, by the opposite wall. I am honestly worried about the possibility that there may be more of them in the house, whether it is harmful, and how to get rid of it. I’d really appreciate it if you could help me.”

“I found this in my loo”, writes this reader about the long, dark worm pictured below in a toilet bowl. “Please help.” He provides no further context, and we must say that the photo he provided is quite dark and not the best quality, which makes it harder to see the worm’s physical characteristics (other than the obvious ones). With that said, we can still make an educated guess as to what it is, and in any case, we would guess that it is some kind of detritivore. Detritivores are organisms that feed on decomposing organic matter, and there are plenty of worms and worm-like organisms that fit this description, including earthworms and millipedes.

“What the heck is this?” asks this reader in his submission regarding the long line of worm-like creatures crawling on top of each other in the picture below. “I found them on an outdoor rug in the morning in Northern Virginia. What our reader found on his rug is what is referred to as a ‘fungus gnat snake’. Clearly, this is not an actual snake, but it is a horde of fungus gnat larvae. These are the youngest form of the fungus gnat, which is a species of fly that, like most species of flies, feeds on rotting organic matter, as do their larvae. They can usually be found in compost bins when the matter inside has been left for a significant amount of time to rot.