“I found this worm wriggling in my clean toilet bowl”, states this reader about the darkly-colored organism pictured below. “It is about 6-inches long, brown, with thin rounded ends, but appears to have a flat body. What is it, please?” The photo she provides does not lend us much detail: when zooming in, the organism becomes merely blurry, which speaks to the low resolution of the photo. That always makes it harder to identify an organism, as its physical characteristics are the number one giveaway for its species. That said, based on the description our reader gave us, we would conclude that this is some type of flatworm.

“Is this a hammerhead worm!?” asks this reader in her submission about the gray, slimy-looking worm-like creature pictured below. We actually cannot tell if it is one or two organisms, though we suppose it does not matter much. “I was horrified to find it in my toilet! Thanks.” We understand how our reader feels, as it is never a pleasant experience to find uninvited guests in one’s home, let alone in one’s toilet. And to confirm: yes, this is a hammerhead worm. Our reader may already be familiar with hammerhead worms, as she correctly identified this one, but in case she is not, the basic facts include: Hammerhead worms are predatory worms, though they are not significantly harmful to humans or pets (unless one keeps insects or snails for pests). They feed on insect larvae, snails, slugs, and other hammerhead worms. They are excellent trackers and possess amazing capabilities, such as the ability to regenerate severed body parts and to liquefy their prey.