“Can you tell me what kind of worm this is?” is all this reader asks in her submission regarding the long, yellow worm-like creature pictured below. Without any context as to the location it was discovered and to the concerns our reader might have with its discovery, it becomes very difficult to identify the organisms unless they are ones we commonly see and can identify solely by sight. Unfortunately, this is not a worm we have seen before (as far as we know), and so we will not be able to give a concrete identification. That said, we can still provide some educated guesses.
While most of the worm’s body looks like it could be round, one end of its body looks almost flat. As such, we entertained the idea that this could be a flatworm. Though in that case, it would be a really thin flatworm, as they are usually wider and not quite as long. On top of that, this worm does not look as slimy as flatworms usually are, though we suppose it could be a dried-up, dead one. Flatworms are predatory worms, and there are thousands of species across multiple habitats: some flatworms live underwater, some on land. Some are harmless, and some are parasites (eg: tapeworms). We have covered flatworms multiple times over the years, and to this day are one of the most fascinating worms in existence, mostly due to their incredible abilities, such as cellular regeneration.
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With all of that said, if this is a flatworm, it could be a canary worm. Canary worms are found across Tasmania and Australia, even though they are flatworms, they are long and thin like this one. Like most flatworms, canary worms are predatory and eat small invertebrates. They are not known to be dangerous, but they can secrete toxins that can cause irritation and/or stinging, so, unless one wears gloves, we recommend avoiding making physical contact with the creature. If this was found inside our reader’s home, we suggest she scoop it onto a dustpan and move it outside.
To conclude, we think this could be a canary worm, though without any context, we cannot say this for certain. If our reader does not live in a location where these can be found, it is likely something else. In that case, we recommend she take the worm to her local county extension office to have it identified. Regardless, we hope something in here proves helpful, and we wish our reader the very best!
All About Worms is always free, always reader-supported, we don't subject you to ads or annoying video pop-ups. But it does cost us money out of our pocket to keep the site going (nearly 20 years so far!) So your tips via CashApp, Venmo, or Paypal are appreciated! Receipts will come from ISIPP Publishing.
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I have never gotten the help that I needed. I actually did take ivermectin and I also took another anti parasitic medication but the doctor only gave it to me one time and it was only 9 mg and it did not work I think that the doctor did not believe there was anything wrong with me and they think that I am delusional the warm picture that I sent in the one that you thought was a canary worm I am almost 100% positive came out of my scalp I’ve gotten two other identical worms as well within a month’s time of the time that I sent that picture month to 2 months these things do not fall out of my head or do not come out of my scalp from nor do I think they want to come out I had to pick them out and pop them out the first one which is the picture that you have that worm was alive I was outside changing a flat tire in the sand and it I was picking up my head at the same time because this hurts and these things move and they try to get all this stuff comes out of my scalp but it until that day almost 7 years I had never gotten anything like that and it was always or larva or dirt looking stuff or just weird stuff and I thought it was going crazy but and everybody else told me I was crazy it’s really affecting me tremendously but I know there’s something living in me and I know that it’s manifesting in my scalp I do not know why only in my scalp but that’s just where it is I don’t know how they come out how they get so big where they come out of because the doctors are like the nurses are like well I don’t see any place that it could have come out I said I don’t know how it could have come out maybe it’s like when a woman has a baby you know that opens up really big and the baby comes out and then it snaps right back in reality right so possibly I guess our skin pores must do the same thing that’s why it hurts so bad and then once it’s out it feels better just like a baby so I don’t know that’s the only thing I can think of my head never bleeds I have several pictures I would like to share I wish somebody could tell me if they know what they are or what to do I don’t know where to go or what to do that can’t get help here there’s no parasitologist in my town and nobody believes me and the doctors never ever tested me they gave me medicine the one doctor did give me the ivermectin but he only gave it to me that one dose he never explained anything to me told me anything he never texted me so I don’t know what kind this is all I know is that it changes and I’ve realized now I’ve studied it for so long that it’s a species and subspecies in generals and different levels of heritism that caused this Google lens tells me that these are parasites Google lens tells me that this is terrorism it doesn’t tell me that that many times for it not to be so even though the things change shapes or colors or whatever it’s still says it and it’s identified different things so it’s confusing a little bit as to what it is I’m pretty sure it’s a marine species I’m pretty sure that it’s a a nematode and it has four stages of Life at least and I got stung by a bee or something in the woods in 2015 and I’m thinking that I possibly got injected buy a parasitic perestoid wasp. It took me a long time to put two and two together because I didn’t know anything was alive in me until actually the day of hurricane Michael in 2018 that morning I got something out of my head that looked like a little cyst and there were worms in it that moved around I have pictures of that as well and I have a video of it showing the worms I took that to the doctor and I got an MRI of my head and it came back saying that I had multiple cysts like formations on my brain are on in my head and then nothing’s ever come of that they’ve never ever checked that again and never have they done anything I’m scared I mean this is next to my brain and it’s causing me a lot of problems I stay sick a lot and I know that you guys aren’t doctors but if you can just tell me what the damn worm is then I can go from there I don’t know if you can or not and I’m not getting mean to cuss but if you can identify any of these pictures I’m going to send them my next I’m going to send on the next session or whatever you want to call it I’m going to send another comment or message and add pictures cuz I don’t think I can add them to this one but please for the love of God help me to try to identify some of these creatures I have I have live bugs come out of my head I’m pretty sure and I I’m pretty sure I’m almost I mean they have to be coming out of my head they’re not coming from anywhere else there’s nothing else there and then they’re there and I’m picking my head and it looks like a lot of different things but but a lot of things are like worms or warm or or larvae or a cocoons or something to that effect I also get clear ones out that look like fishing line sort of and they don’t really move but they do and I did not realize one day I filmed it and watched it move and it’s like it’s you can look at it and see it and then it’s transparent though and then it’s almost like you can’t see it it depends on which I mean if you move your head at all they’re transparent like forms but they do move and they do I have a video of one on the floor that literally reached out and grabbed another piece of stuff and wrapped around it I mean it’s very hard to see but I see it and I’m not freaking crazy and I have a video of it but you it happens really fast and I was so freaked out by watching I mean when I’m on video and I’m leaving the camera so much it’s crazy this thing literally wrapped around another little chunk of stuff that was laying next to it and and I didn’t realize i..
I believe that this came from my head scLp . I have gotten two others almost identical people keep throwing them away . They think I’m nuts but I have the last one still in a jar with Lcohol .I need help somewhere .the Dr’s are not listening or testing me .
I am having the same symptoms except my toes turn blue red black, ans my lymph nodes are swollen everywhere It my metal health. SAYS EVERYONE INCLUDING THE DOCTORS. My kid’s don’t even believe me. My 2 dogs have it. I also think my kids have it. They won’t listen to me. I can barely see. I can hardly hear out of my right ear. My hair is falling out. I am dying, I just know it. I’ve lost so much weight. I can’t eat. Barely drink. I need help. When I am diagnosed my kids will get checked. And my puppies.
The worm I’m talking about is the one appearing as a canary worm I live in Florida Panama City I’m 55 female
I am the person who sent the pic with no other info I found two worms that day and this one was alive at first I believe that it is parasite and I t was in my house and I was at my friends when the otharer one fell in front of me on floor it is different and smaller I am aimlessly trying to identify something’s that are appearing in my life and are not anything that in 55 years I have ever seen nor anyone else either has seen I know your not medical professionals but they aren’t up to date on worms and you are I was told that it is not real it’s my imagination I am delusional I’ve been prescribed antipsychotic medication Wow if Ian delusional then how are you looking at my pic of what I’m imagining right. So with all this being said I am really interested in your take on what this could be as a parasite possibly a general idea as to what it could be in that aspect as well as the other possibilities please if you can help the doctors have not seen this and I no longer have it I have had several things and people keep throwing them away as to screw up me taking it to someone and it is a very difficult painful task to get these out and I never pulled one out they sorta pop out and land on floor or table or whatever. All sounds incredibally crazy but is true and I need help from someone I get all kinds of , I guess you can call it debris ,but these things are in it or around it and can be seen when magnified it appears as dirt to the normal eye this is in my head and I do pick at it and somehow it is affecting my eyesight my smells and it makes me sick a lot I have severe chills a lot and head pains confusion and I get extremely nauseous and I get so tired and I have wired pain in les feet and hands feeling if this crawling along scalp even a pinching sensation it is affecting my nervous system as well I’m scared and I just need to know what type of worm as to go get the proper help as it is in my head. Seven years now and I am feeling out because my life is being destroyed daily by this and I cannot take much more.