We received a very interesting question recently about, essentially, parasitic worms that infect other worms. Most of us have heard of parasitic worms that infect other hosts, including humans, but are there parasitic worms that take worms themselves as their host? More broadly, the reader was wondering if there is any “example of a parasitic animal whose host is a worm,” so in addition to looking for parasitic worms that infect worms, we are also looking for any sort of parasite that takes a worm as a host.

A reader wrote to us a while back about a long brown worm with black stripes that she found in a decaying stump. Fortunately, she sent us an excellent photo of the brown worm, which we were quickly able to identify as a hammerhead worm (sometimes understandably, but incorrectly, spelled “hammer head worm”). The reader was merely wondering what the long brown worm was, so we’ve technically already answered her question, but if we stopped writing now, we wouldn’t have a very satisfying article to read. So, below we supply some information about hammerhead worms, which includes the reader’s excellent picture.

Grub worms, with their white C-shaped bodies, are lawn pests that are difficult to eradicate. In the larvae, or grub stage, grub worms feast on the turf’s root system.

Vermiculture is the practice of ranching – with worms. As the population grows, the vermiculture worms are used or sold for composting and for bait.

Worms in dogs are commonly found in the intestinal tract and sometimes in the heart. Professional treatment and owner prevention are critical to the well-being of your canine companion.

Heart worms affect dogs, cats, coyotes, wolves, and other wild animals. The heart worm was first found in dogs over a century ago. Heart worm disease is often found within 150 miles the gulf and Atlantic coasts.

Hook worms can not only invade your family pet, but can also infect people. Hook worms infect both pets and people in the same way, by penetrating the skin.

Silk worms are really not worms at all! Silk worms are actually the larvae of certain types of moths! The silk worm has been used for centuries in the manufacturing of textiles.

Pinworms, also known as pin worms, or just pin worm, are a tiny parasitic worm which lives in the human intestinal tract. Pin worm infections are thought to infect as many as 400million people worldwide, and 40million in the United States alone. Pin worms often affect children.

Segmented worms are placed in the phylum Annelida, which consists of over 12,000 species of segmented worms grouped into three classes comprising freshwater worms and earthworms, marine worms, and leeches.

There are nearly 10,000 species of bristle worm. Bristle worms can be tiny or large. Bristle worms can be benign or predatory. In fact, the bristle worm family is as diverse a worm family as one could hope to find.

So you think all earthworms are the same? Think again! There are 4400 known species of earthworms on our planet!

Worms in humans are often, but not always, filarial worms. Filarial worms are parasitic worms in humans that require a human host to survive and complete the life cycle.

Do you know how many species of segmented worms there are? Did you know that segmented worms are highly evolved, with a circulatory system and complex nervous system? There are over 12,000 species of segmented worm – how many segmented worms can you name?

Loa Loa worms (also known as the “eye worm”) are classified as filarial worms, meaning they thrive in human tissue. Loiasis, often misspelled as “loaisis”, is the infestation of loa loa worms in humans.

These ten great earthworm facts will convince you that the earthworm is an amazing creature. Test your own knowledge against these 10 great earth worm facts!

Worm castings are an amazing organic fertilizer for your garden! Worm castings look just like top soil, are rich in many nutrients, and have an earthy, pleasant smell.

Worm farming can be a rewarding hobby, or even a second (or first!) job! And it’s easy to learn how to build a worm farm! So start a worm farm today!

The Guinea worm is often referred to as the “fiery serpent”, likely due to the painful symptoms of Guinea worm disease. The life and survival of the Guinea worm is unique in many ways, often requiring a year for full development of the parasite, during which entire time the Guinea worm is painfully impacting a human host with that Guinea worm disease.

Hook worms can be be transmitted by contaminated soil or feces. Currently it is believed that as many as one-fifth of the world’s population is infected with hook worms.