While many have been thankful for the swarm of rain North Texas has received over the last couple of weeks, the downpour has caused an uptick in sighting of the invasive, and toxic, hammerhead worm.
According to NBC DFW, hammerhead worms, originally from Southeast Asia, have been in the United States since the late 1800s. Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller says, “If you see one, you won’t mistake it, it’s over a foot long, about 12, 15 inches long. It’s got a big wide head on it, like a hammer, I mean just like it says.”
They usually eat the earthworms that make compost that keeps soil healthy, and their skin also produces a neurotoxin that can cause rashes in humans and can be harmful to animals if eaten.
And getting rid of them isn’t simply a matter of cutting one in half, as they can reproduce automatically!
Miller explained, “The thing people need to know is don’t kill it, don’t squish it, don’t cut it up, because it makes three or four more worms, it’s asexual reproduction. Tear it in half, now you’ve got two worms.”
Experts say the best way to get rid of a hammerhead worm is to put it in a bag and freeze it up to 48 hours or leave it in a mix of salt and vinegar.
Any sightings of hammerhead worms should be reported to the Texas Invasive Species Institute.
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