“I found the worm in the attached photo in my pool, and I have not found anything similar in internet searches”, writes Brent in his submission regarding the thin, long, worm-like creature with antennae pictured below. “Can you tell me what it is and if it is dangerous to humans or pets? Thank you!” Now, although this photo is not high resolution, meaning that when we zoom in the details get pretty blurry, we can see that the creature does indeed have the aforementioned antennae, which leads us to believe that Brent found a centipede in his pool. More likely than not, the centipede ended up in the pool by accident, and its presence is nothing to worry about.

Centipedes are arthropods, meaning they have numerous pairs of legs sprouting from the sides of their segmented, exoskeletal bodies. This physical appearance is what makes them so vilified among the general public. They are seen as creepy, and many people have a phobia of them, as well as of their cousin the millipede. Millipedes can be distinguished by the placement of their legs (which are on the underside of their bodies) and the shape of their bodies (millipedes are more tubular while centipedes are ‘flatter’), as well as by their behavior and diet. Millipedes are slow, non-aggressive, and eat decomposing plants. Centipedes are not necessarily aggressive, but they are fast and defensive: they will snap at you with their pincers if they feel threatened, which can cause mild pain from smaller species. They are also predators, and feed on small insects like flies, moths, and termites.

They are not aquatic creatures, so the fact that it ended up in Brent’s pool is definitely accidental. It might have been chasing some prey which went into the pool in a panic, and the centipede followed suit. Or maybe a strung gust of wind blew the centipede into the pool. Whatever the case is, all Brent needs to do is fish it out (preferably while avoiding physical contact, so as not to get pinched by the centipede), and release it to the wild. Centipedes are not pests but are actually an important part of the ecosystems they belong to. They help control populations of the actual pests people do not want in their homes, like termites, bed bugs, cockroaches, and silverfish. So, to definitively answer Brent’s question, no they are not dangerous to humans and pets, at least not centipedes of this size. They could pinch you, but that is not going to cause any significant or long-term damage. The only species of centipedes that are dangerous to humans and especially to smaller pets are the giant species, which live in tropical or desert regions. We should note that it is possible for someone to experience an allergic reaction to the venom that centipedes inject with their pincers, but there is no record of someone experiencing a life-threatening one from the smaller species found in urban areas.

In conclusion, we believe Brent found a centipede in his pool. Centipedes, generally speaking, are not dangerous to humans or pets, but are vital to our ecosystems and should be protected. We hope this helps, and we wish Brent the very best.

Summary

Article Name

Worm-like Creature with Antennae in Pool is a Centipede

Description

"I found the worm in the attached photo in my pool, and I have not found anything similar in internet searches", writes Brent in his submission regarding the thin, long, worm-like creature with antennae pictured below. "Can you tell me what it is and if it is dangerous to humans or pets? Thank you!" Now, although this photo is not high resolution, meaning that when we zoom in the details get pretty blurry, we can see that the creature does indeed have the aforementioned antennae, which leads us to believe that Brent found a centipede in his pool. More likely than not, the centipede ended up in the pool by accident, and its presence is nothing to worry about.

Author

Worm Researcher Anton