One of our readers found something in the toilet:

She explained that she looked down post urinating and pre flushing when she noticed this specimen swimming in the bowl. She described the creature as long, thin, reddish brown, vertically flat with a distinct head. She estimated it to be about 5 inches long. She is a little worried that this worm came out of her and is interested in our take on the matter.

We don’t believe this is a parasite, and we will explain what we think it is shortly, but before doing so we want to make it clear that we are not medical professionals. If our reader has any symptoms or is scared for her health, she needs to see a doctor as soon as possible.

That being said, we are confident that the creature found swimming in our reader’s bowl is a hammerhead worm. A hammerhead worm is a type of land planarians, which are also known as land flatworms. They get their nickname ‘hammerhead worm’ from their distinctive head shape. Since they normally inhabit land environments, it is a mystery how and why this reader found such a specimen in her toilet. However, they do like moist environments, so perhaps they sought out the toilet bowl water in an effort to escape the otherwise dry bathroom.

Hammerhead worms are not harmful to humans, or even to household pets. So we don’t think our reader is in any danger. If these worms keep showing up in her home, in the toilet or other areas, there might be an issue with the plumbing or foundation of her home. However, it is much more likely that this worm just ended up in the toilet by accident!

In summary, a reader found a worm in her toilet, and wondered if it could be a parasite. We believe the worm she discovered is a hammerhead worm.