Nearly Invisible, Slimy Worm Found in Kiddie Pool is a Mystery

Share the knowledge

“I found this clear worm-like thing in the kiddie pool”, states this reader about the near transparent creature pictured below. “The water came from an outdoor tap and had been sitting outside for two days. I scooped it out with a colander and, when not submerged, it looks slimy and jelly like. It measures around 3/4 inch. I live in Eugene, Oregon.” First of all, we want to note that we have never seen anything truly like this worm: if it were not for the black rings of bristle-like objects protruding from its body, the worm would be almost invisible to the naked eye.

Now, because of this, we have to say immediately that we have no idea what this worm is, and we will not be able to provide a concrete identification. Given its near transparency, it has no other defining characteristics other than its black rings. Of course, one might think that its invisibility is its defining characteristics, which is true, but there is not any material or research on a worm like that that we can find – at least, not one that is not microscopic.

Our best guess is that it is some type of marine worm, given where it came from and where it was found, and the fact that it seems to be surviving in the jug of water our reader is keeping the worm in (as far as we know). Perhaps it is some type of bristle worm, given the aforementioned bristly rings around its body. That said, while it is possible it did come from the tap, it is also possible that it did not. Our reader did mention that the water in the kiddie pool had been sitting outside for two days, which is plenty of time for a worm to fall into the pool from an overhanging tree, or to crawl in there.

In any case, we advise avoiding skin-to-skin contact, as unforeseen allergic reactions could otherwise occur, and we suggest our reader actually keep this worm in the jug for a while, perhaps giving it some various types of food (if it is a marine worm, she can try some type of organic matter that would or is decomposing), and see what it grows into, if it does grow into anything. We would be really curious to get an update from our reader if the worm ends up growing in size, or even maturing into a pupa, if it happens to actually be an insect larva.

To conclude, it is unfortunate that we must admit our defeat in trying to identify this creature – it might be a bristle worm, but it could equally be an insect larva or some other type of worm that just fell into the pool. We encourage any of our other readers who might have ideas as to the identity of this worm to share them in the comments section below. We hope that we were able to provide something of use, and we wish our reader the very best!

 

All About Worms is always free, always reader-supported. Your tips via CashApp, Venmo, or Paypal are appreciated! Receipts will come from ISIPP Publishing.

CashApp us Square Cash app link

Venmo us Venmo link

Paypal us Paypal link

Note: Some links on this site are partner links. That means that we earn a tiny bit if you purchase something through them, at no extra charge to you. This helps offset the cost of keeping this resource free for everybody (it doesn't cover our costs, but every little bit helps! :~) )
Summary
Nearly Invisible, Slimy Worm Found in Kiddie Pool is a Mystery
Article Name
Nearly Invisible, Slimy Worm Found in Kiddie Pool is a Mystery
Description
"I found this clear worm-like thing in the kiddie pool", states this reader about the near transparent creature pictured below. "The water came from an outdoor tap and had been sitting outside for two days. I scooped it out with a colander and, when not submerged, it looks slimy and jelly like. It measures around 3/4 inch. I live in Eugene, Oregon." First of all, we want to note that we have never seen anything truly like this worm: if it were not for the black rings of bristle-like objects protruding from its body, the worm would be almost invisible to the naked eye.
Author

Share the knowledge

Author: Worm Researcher Anton

15 thoughts on “Nearly Invisible, Slimy Worm Found in Kiddie Pool is a Mystery

  1. In Ireland I have found them a lot in my fresh water/ river water swimming pool . They start off as jelly like with teeny black dots. Then the dots join , go orange & not seen next stage.
    They certainly are Chironomidae eggs ,they will turn into non biting midgets. thank you whoever mentioned that above. I was using google image search & getting no where.

  2. Monmouth County, NJ. I filled the kiddie pool at 4p the day before these were discovered; about 24-25 hrs after filling. My daughter and I went in after it was filled and went to use it the next day when I saw these. No let’s we’re in the water but that’s not to say local wildlife didn’t ?

    The rings the OP is describing as black are all one color in NJ.

  3. I found a bunch of these in my kids pool today~ I scooped them out and have kept them In a jar of water…. I had the idea of watching what happened~ so maybe I’ll keep you posted…. Only thing I can find online is this article about it… pretty strange looking thing~ I almost thought it was a decomposed plant matter but when I scooped one out I hit it on the side of the jar and it had a goo/slimy look to it….

    Oddly enough I filled the pool two days ago and yes it’s gotten much hotter this week. Found that strange a lot of other people
    Have said the same thing…

    Eekk not sure how I feel about swimming with it… but then again who knows how often we already have~ hard to spot in a lake or River it’s so transparent… or even larger pool…

  4. Thank you Mohit, I’ve been searching for ages to find what this was. I thought it was a worm but like you say it’s a line of tiny eggs in jelly. The eggs hatch into small larve which then turn into midges. Hoping a dose of chlorine will remove these from our swimming pool.

  5. Found multiple similar worms in my lazy spa, even though it fully cleaned two days ago, has chlorine in it and the water was replaced after I cleaned it. We are experiencing unusually hot weather. Now emptying the hot tub to clean and refill

  6. I just found in my bathing water. It looked like small eggs in a jelly casing. After 2hours of tiring research I got to know that its Chironomidae egg mass. Chironomidae, informally known as non-biting midges, are a highly diverse family of flies with over 10,000 species globally.

    1. Thank you Mohit, I’ve been searching for ages to find what this was. I thought it was a worm but like you say it’s a line of tiny eggs in jelly. The eggs hatch into small larve which then turn into midges. Hoping a dose of chlorine will remove these from our swimming pool.

  7. Today I found a same worm in my Drinking glass yakk ,while drinking water i suddenly notice something jelly thing stuck in the side way of my glas then I suddenly stopped drinking it, then I try to vomit it i was really scared,
    I found it in a purified water ?
    I don’t have any info of this worm , if any one got to know about this then let us know too.

  8. I have also find this parasite or worm in my glass yesterday it was totally transparent only a fine line structure was there in its body ,I am from INDIA, i was totally shocked. My water was fresh but I can’t understand from where it come in my glass , can anyone mention its name , I don’t know if I had drinked it earlier unknowingly

    1. Hii Ritik! I too found a same worm in my Drinking glass yakk ,while drinking water i suddenly notice something jelly thing stuck in the side way of my glas then I suddenly stopped drinking it, then I try to vomit it i was really scared,
      I found it in a purified water ?.I’m from India.

  9. In Seattle Washington, found very similar in my dog’s water bowl. It has been above-average hot these past few days, not sure if that matters. It was not moving and didn’t appear to be alive. I fished it out, put it on a napkin, touched it gently with a wooden stir stick, and the jelly-like outsides basically collapsed and I just had clear goo and the inside little brown things left behind.

  10. I had just seen the worm in my drinking glass. I wonder how it gets into it. So I agree with you that it could be a very young larva of some insects… I didn’t take a photo of it but your description and photo looks same. I have tried to search information online and found your article.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *