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Posted in Slugs Worms Facts Worms Generally

Slimy Creatures Regurgitated by California Kingsnake Could be Snails

“What in the world are these little wormlike creatures?” asks Erin in her submission regarding the translucent organism with black entrails pictured below. “Here’s the story of how we found them: My partner and I enjoy herpetology and going “field herping” to search for and photograph reptiles in the wild. We recently visited Whitewater, California and stumbled upon a small California kingsnake (lampropeltis getula californiae) crossing the road. Upon picking it up to take a closer look, we saw these tiny black/transparent worms coming out of the snake’s mouth. It was honestly horrifying, so I can only hope that this animal is able to survive in the wild. Anyway, the worms appeared more like leeches or slugs – I don’t see any segmentation. We have a cheap little USB endoscope that magnifies at 1000x, so I have included close-up photos, as well as a zoomed-out photo next to a penny for scale reference. It appears to me that the black substance is food, waste, or organs inside of a transparent creature. We hope you can identify this species, and help us understand the super interesting interaction between fauna that we witnessed! Thanks so much.”

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Posted in Dog Worms Parasite Worms Worms Generally

Clear Worm-like Critters Under Tile Floor are Flea Larvae

“What is this?” asks this reader in her submission regarding the translucent organisms pictured below. “It is about 1/4 inch long and is under my sticky tile on my floor next to the plywood. There are millions of babies and white looking eggs.” We think that the organisms our reader found are flea larvae: their translucent bodies and dark entrails point to this fact. The location in which they were found is quite strange: usually they are found near a source of food, like on a bed or in a wardrobe.

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Posted in Worms Facts Worms Found in the House Worms Generally

Translucent Worms in Sink are Flea Larva

A translucent, “really small” worm-like creature was found by this reader in her home. She states they were “mostly seen in the bathroom sink”, and thus asks if they are ” possibly sink worms?” The worm in question is pictured below. One can see its near transparency, and the dark entrails visible through its skin. Our reader does not clarify how many of these she has found in her home, and what other places she has discovered them in. Nonetheless, we have come across this critter so many times that we can identify it merely by the picture provided: this is a flea larva.