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Posted in Earthworms Segmented Worms Annelida Worms Found in the House

Long Black Worm in Toilet is an Earthworm

“Tonight I went to use the bathroom to urinate but when I looked down I noticed a living worm there”, writes Alberto in his submission regarding the dark, long, worm-like creature pictured below. “My first thought was that the worm came from me, and that it was a parasite (I did use the bathroom in the morning, but I didn’t use the bathroom until the night when I saw the worm), but when I started researching in Google it didn’t seem like the worm looked like the typical parasite that infects humans. Those seem to be white or cream, while this worm looks black with a bit of red and some transparent parts when it stretches. Also I didn’t have any symptoms the days before, like itching, however I did have some light digestive looseness the day before, but I think I’m pretty sure it was something I ate the same day, but I’m not sure though. I did take a dewormer just in case, but I would like to be sure if that worm could be a parasite that came from me. I’d leave a video and some other pics of the worm, thank you very much! I live in Monterrey, Mexico.”

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Posted in Flatworm Interesting Worms Worms Generally

Slimy Dark Green Worm in Toilet is a Flatworm

“This was in my toilet, not seen until after I went to the bathroom”, writes Ginger in her submission regarding the dark green worm pictured below. “I’m concerned whether it’s a human worm or parasite? Or was it lurking in the toilet unnoticed before I used the toilet?” Now, there are a plethora of worms and worm-like organisms that can come up through people’s toilets. The reason for this is usually because there is a leak somewhere underground in the piping through which the worms enter. Ginger will be able to notice that there is a leak if she notices one of many of the following signs: discolored water, foul-smelling or -tasting water, and inconsistencies in water pressure and temperature.

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Posted in Earthworms Marine Worms Worms Facts Worms Generally

Large Pink Worm in Toilet is a Bloodworm

“Can you tell me what kind of worm this is?” asks this reader in her submission regarding the pink, and presumably large, worm pictured below. “I found it at the bottom of my toilet. My husband fished it out and put it in a plastic container. Any help you can offer would be hugely appreciated! Thank you!” To begin with, we just want to thank our reader for the excellent photo. She also sent in more, but we opted to include only the best one. They were all fantastic though. Photos like these greatly help us identify the creatures we are asked about. And on top of that, it is far more fascinating to see such creatures in such detail.

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Posted in Marine Worms Parasite Worms Worms Generally

Thin, Black Worm in Toilet is a Horsehair Worm

“Can you help tell us what this is?” asks this reader in her submission regarding the thin, black worms pictured below. “And if it is common, or coming from one of us? And any possible ways of stopping worms in the toilet? My mum bleaches frequently and is super clean.” Despite our reader’s short submission, there are a lot of questions to be answered here. Firstly, we can definitely help our reader in identifying the worm-like creature pictured below. We think this is possibly a horsehair worm. These worms are somewhat common, though they are more common in nature than in people’s homes. They would not be coming from our reader or her mother, despite being parasites.

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Posted in Flatworm Hammerhead Worm Worms Found in the House

Worms in Kitchen and Garage are Hammerhead Worms

“I found this critter in my kitchen last night”, writes this reader about the worm-like creature pictured below. “I live in Phoenix, AZ, where it is very hot and dry (usually about 115 in the summers) – low desert. We had a big rainstorm come through over the weekend and I’ve started finding worker/swarmer termites since the storm on the first and second floors (not sure if that’s related, so I wanted to include it). I have a good amount of houseplants, two of which are new. They were in my garage yesterday and the night before and I brought them in last night after treating them with a systemic insecticide and letting the soil dry out after watering through. They were brought in about a half hour before I saw the critter, and they were kept separate in another room about six feet from where I found this guy. (Again, not sure if related and wanted to mention it.) The critter has two clear antennae (pincers? snail-like eyes?) that are barely visible in the video. It’s a brownish color on top with a light/clearish underside. It appears to be mildly “fuzzy”, not sure if those are hairs or legs or something else. I’d appreciate any insight you can provide.”

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Posted in Earthworms Segmented Worms Annelida Worms Found in the House

Pink and Gray Worm Found in Urine May be Annelid

“Can you please identify the worm in this picture that is found in human urine?” is all this reader asks in his submission regarding the gray and pink worm pictured below. The worm is rather long, segmented, and has semi-transparent skin: at least, so we think. Our theory is that the pink part near the end of its body is a view into the inside of the worm. Based on the photo, we would think this is some type of annelid, though our identification should not be taken at face value. The reason for this is the lack of context of our reader’s situation: he does not specify if the worm came from someone’s body, and was then found in their urine, or if somebody peed, then looked in the toilet, and saw the worm there.

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Posted in Composting Worms Interesting Worms Worms Found in the House

Long, Dark Worm in Loo is Likely a Detritivore

“I found this in my loo”, writes this reader about the long, dark worm pictured below in a toilet bowl. “Please help.” He provides no further context, and we must say that the photo he provided is quite dark and not the best quality, which makes it harder to see the worm’s physical characteristics (other than the obvious ones). With that said, we can still make an educated guess as to what it is, and in any case, we would guess that it is some kind of detritivore. Detritivores are organisms that feed on decomposing organic matter, and there are plenty of worms and worm-like organisms that fit this description, including earthworms and millipedes.

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Posted in Flatworm Worms Facts Worms Found in the House

Long, Brown Worm in Toilet is a Flatworm

“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.

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Posted in Garden Worms Worms Facts Worms Found in the House

Tan Bugs in Toilet are Beetle Larvae

“Attached is a picture of the small tan insects that have a worm-like body, six legs and a black head”, states this reader in his submission regarding the organism pictured below. “They were floating in the toilet this morning and there is an exhaust fan directly above the toilet and may be the source of where they came from. Thanks.” Based on the photo, we think these are beetle larvae of some kind, as they typically have legs even at the larval stage. That said, we do not know exactly which species they belong to, but, in any case, beetle larvae are not harmful to humans or pets, so our reader need not worry about that.

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Posted in Caterpillars Fishing Worms Worms Found in the House

Long-tailed, Black and White-striped Worms Found on Bathroom Floor are a Mystery

“Found about 10 of these on my bathroom floor”, states this reader about the black and white-striped worm-like creatures pictured below. “Less than a centimeter each.”

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Posted in Earthworms Segmented Worms Annelida Worms Found in the House

Long, Red Worm Found in Toilet is an Earthworm

“What is this?” is all this reader asks in his submission to us. He asks about a long, red worm-like organism that looks like it was found in a toilet.

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Posted in Parasite Worms Worms Generally Worms in Humans

Man Finds Potential Organisms in Toilet After Two Weeks of Bowel Problems; Where He Can Go For Help

“What is this?” asks this reader about the organism in the photograph below. Our reader states that he has been having diarrhea for two weeks and this, brow-green organism came out the day he sent in his submission.

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Posted in Parasite Worms Worms Found in the House Worms Generally

Small, White Worms in Toilet May Be Flea Larvae

“I keep finding these small worms in the toilet”, states this reader concerning the minuscule, clear-white organism pictured below. “Can you confirm what they may be?”

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Posted in Earthworms Segmented Worms Annelida Worms Found in the House

Short, Brown Worm Found in Shower May be a Bloodworm

“I live in Austin Texas and found this worm in my shower. It was about 2 inches long”, states this reader with regard to the long, pink-brown worm-like creature photographed below. “Do you know what kind of worm this is?”

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Posted in Drain Fly Larvae Worms Found in the House Worms Generally

Dark Brown Worm Found in Toilet May Be a Drain Fly Larva, Though Concerns About Parasites are Raised

“What are these worms and should we be worried?” asks this reader, who is worried that the worms are inside her and the people who have used the toilet. The creature, who was found “swimming in [her] toilet”, seems to be a dark-brown color, with a brighter, yellowish tail/head (though it is difficult to tell).

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Posted in Earthworms Garden Worms Segmented Worms Annelida

‘How Do Earthworms Get Into Our Toilets?’ Wonders Reader After Finding One in His Bathroom

“I would like to know how [this worm] could have gotten in the toilet?” asks this reader in Medway, Kent, who found this worm in his upstairs toilet. The worm looks to be thin and long, with a pink-brown body and no obvious appendages or bristles.

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Posted in Marine Worms Worms Facts Worms Generally

Cream Colored, Tailed Worm in Toilet is a Rat-tailed Maggot

“What is this worm?” asks our reader about this cream-colored creature she put in a glass jar. The creature looks to be an ovate shape, with a thin tail emerging from one end of its body.

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Posted in Fishing Worms Marine Worms Segmented Worms Annelida

Dead, Pink-Brown Worms by Kitchen Sink are Tubifex Worms

“What on Earth are these worms?” asks this reader, who found a batch of pinkish, dead worm-like creatures beside her kitchen sink. She has since cleaned the worms up and bleached her entire counter and sink.

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Posted in Drain Fly Larvae Worms Found in the House Worms Generally

Yellow and Reddish-Brown Striped Worm in Toilet is a Drain Fly Larva

After leaving her house in South-East England empty for three months, this reader has found a worm in her toilet and wonders if we have any ideas about what it could be. The worm is described by our reader as having “yellow and reddish-brown stripes”, and zooming in on the photograph she sent us confirms, at the very least, that the worm is striped.

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Posted in Fishing Worms Marine Worms Worms Found in the House

Red Worms Infesting Woman’s Bathroom are Bloodworms

Red, “free-moving, thread-like” worms of varying lengths were discovered in the bathroom of this concerned woman. She says they look “dangerous and unpredictable” given their speed, and worries that they might be parasitic to humans.