'THEY'RE HERE': Dangerous worms now wriggling in Ontario soil
Hammerhead worms can grow to three feet and have been found in Newmarket, Hamilton and the Kitchener area
Published Apr 27, 2024 • Last updated 8 hours ago • 1 minute read
Ontario has been invaded by worm that are dangerous to pets.
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There have been reports that hammerhead worms, which can grow to three-feet-long, have recently been found in Newmarket, Hamilton and the Kitchener area.
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“They’re here. People are surprised to see them because they are very unusual. People are not used to seeing them. They are originally a semitropical organism,” John Reynolds, a laboratory biologist and worm expert, recently told CTV News Toronto.
It isn’t clear how the worms, native to Southeast Asia, came into the province but they have previously been found in the United States and Quebec.
“They don’t get very far on their own. They need to be transported,” Reynolds explained. “They can spread quickly because if you cut them, each piece becomes a new individual.”
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He said hammerhead worms produce a dangerous neurotoxin called tetrodotoxin that is also found in pufferfish.
The worm’s toxins can kill small animals and causes a rash in people.
“They are not seriously harmful to people. They can cause a terrible rash and make your hands tingle for a while,” Reynolds said. “If you swallow one by mistake, it will only make you nauseous. It certainly won’t be fatal.”
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However, the Kitchener worm expert warned people not to pick up worms.
“These worms have been here, but in such low numbers that they were originally overlooked, but recently they have become more visible,” Reynolds said, adding as the number of hammerhead worms increases, the more sightings and awareness there will be.
The Invasive Species Center advises people to report any sightings of hammerhead worms on iNaturalist.ca.
“Ideally get precise location information, an address,” Reynolds said. “And get some photos because that’s really the only way you can verify detection.”
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