We recently received a photograph and a short message from one of our readers. He explained that he noticed a worm-like organism in the toilet after he urinated. He retrieved the critter and put it in a small jar, where he thinks it might have lain eggs. He said the specimen was still alive 4 hours later. He also noted that he hasn’t been feeling great for the past few days. He feels as though his body is fighting an infection and he has been urinating more than usual. He finally noted that he lives in Florida, which is good to know because some species of worms are only present in certain geographic areas! Here is the photo he sent:
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We believe that the pink and translucent creature on the right of the photograph is the specimen he found in his toilet. The little brown spheres could be the eggs he mentioned, and there appears to be a whole clump of them on the other side of the jar. Most worms lay eggs every 7-10 days in little cocoons that contain 1-5 eggs. If the conditions aren’t right, the eggs might lay dormant for years waiting for the right time to hatch. We know that earthworm cocoons are yellow and about the size of a grain of rice, but we don’t know that this specimen is an earthworm. These small brown spheres could be eggs, but they also might be feces, we aren’t totally sure.
As we said above, we aren’t sure if this creature is an earthworm or something to be concerned about. Earthworms can be different shades of purple, brown, grey, pink, and red, and they are often found in toilets! However, earthworms have segmented bodies, and this worm looks smooth. Of course, the creature might just appear to be smooth in the photo, but might actually have a segmented body.
Since our reader is worried about his health, we don’t feel comfortable writing this off as an earthworm if he might actually be sick! We aren’t medical professionals and therefore can’t give out medical advice of any kind. Because he did mention a few symptoms, we think the best thing for him to do would be to see a doctor! A licensed medical professional will be able to answer all of his questions and treat him if necessary.
To wrap up, one of our readers found a pink and translucent worm in his toilet. We think the creature looks a little bit like an earthworm, which readers find in their toilets all the time, but since he is concerned about his health, we encourage him to see a doctor to find out if the worm is something to worry about!
All About Worms is always free, always reader-supported, we don't subject you to ads or annoying video pop-ups. But it does cost us money out of our pocket to keep the site going (nearly 20 years so far!) So your tips via CashApp, Venmo, or Paypal are appreciated! Receipts will come from ISIPP Publishing.