“I found this in my bathroom where the water is leaking from the water sprayer”, states this reader in her submission regarding the long, red worm-like organism pictured below. “When I was cleaning the bathroom I found the first one. I asked my family to get rid of it because, frankly, I can’t stand worms or insects anyways. They did get rid of it and I thought that this was over with, but apparently not because today I found another one in the exact same place. I am so very concerned as to where it came from. Any help you could provide would be very much appreciated. I’m from Iraq. I don’t know if my country has any factors that could lead up to this, but just in case you needed that info. Thank you in advance.

Based on the context and photograph, we would guess that this is an earthworm or a bloodworm. Earthworms are the most common worm: they are segmented annelids that live underground and feed on decomposing organic matter. They are harmless benefactors of the environment and should not be killed. The same goes for bloodworms. The term ‘bloodworm’ refers to a broader category of worms than ‘earthworm’. While all earthworms share similar biological and physical characteristics, bloodworms all share one trait in common, but there are bloodworms from several different families of worms. For example, some bloodworms are also earthworms. What makes a bloodworm a bloodworm is its blood-red coloration, which comes from their excessive production of hemoglobin which allows them to sustain in low-oxygen conditions, such as in water. Despite their macabre name, bloodworms are also harmless.

Like earthworms, bloodworms typically also feed on decomposing organic matter in whatever environment they live in, so regardless of this particular worm’s identity, it likely ended up in our reader’s shower in the same way: through the drains. Drain pipes are full of decomposing organic matter, and, given the chance, lots of organisms that feed on this particular substance would come up through people’s drains. And what gives them this chance? Usually, a leak somewhere underground in the piping. To see if she might be experiencing a leak in her piping underground, our reader can lookout for these signs: Changes in water pressure. Discoloration of water. Foul-smelling water. And foul-tasting water. If any of these things is occurring, it might be worth contacting a professional to look into the issue. This sort of leak should not be confused with the leak in our reader’s “water sprayer”, as this leak is not occuring in a place which earthworms/bloodworms naturally live. That said, it does provide another entrance into the bathroom through which the worms can come once they have already found their way into the pipes.

To conclude, we think that the long, red worm that our reader found in the bathroom is either an earthworm or bloodworm. Our reader does not need to fear for her safety, though we understand that this was an unpleasant experience for her. We hope we could help in some way, and we wish her the very best!

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