Posted on 05/22/2018 7:39:35 PM PDT by BenLurkin
Hammerhead flatworms, which grow to a foot or more in length, do not belong in European vegetable gardens.
"We do not have that in France," said Justine, a professor at the National Museum of Natural History in Paris.
The predatory worms are native to Asia, where they happily gobble up earthworms under a warmer sun.
The gardener who took the first photo, an amateur naturalist named Pierre Gros, emailed Justine a second picture a week later. It was of a completely different species of giant worm.
…
"The species are cryptic and soil-dwelling so can be easily overlooked, which often explains their inadvertent shipment round the world," said entomologist Archie Murchie of Britain's Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, who was not involved with the study.
Worms like these are spreading and will continue to spread, he warned, especially "with increased global trade."
Biologists knew that smaller worms, which eat escargot snails, had made their way to France. But until recently, Justine, an expert in parasites and worms called nematodes, had no idea France was under a hammerhead invasion.
(Excerpt) Read more at sciencealert.com ...
I have not seen one this spring in all my digging. Seven miles away where I work, there are plenty.
= = = = = = = = = = =
Being of the ‘suspicious’ sort and a little cynical, I feel there may be a link to the transformation of the critters from YOUR spread to YOUR work?
Just sayin....
Just saying.....
Is there any kind of creature which eats this flatworm to keep it in check? The way the article reads, it appears to be “thriving” in a country like France …
Bait!?
This is France we’re talking about. By next week it will be on the menu at all the 5 Star restaurants!
The French should bake them up with a buttery herb sauce and serve them like escargot.
;-)
my yard is full of them. if any end up on pavement from rains i try to save them from drying out.
WTF? Whatever would possess someone to do this?!
Giant Predatory Worm....aka Former Director Comey.
Mongolian death worms
future Darwin winner
#23. Re “Is there any kind of creature which eats this flatworm...”?
Yes. Hollywood, the entertainment industry, and politics are full of them.
Let’s see. Michael Moore; Rosie O’Donnell; Amy Schumer; Chelsea Handler; Stephen Colbert (He looks like one); Chris Matthews; Chris Cuomo and his brother (both bloodsucking idiots); Maxine Waters (a subspecies all on her own); Al Green (D-TX, NM, Outerspace); Elijah Cummings (D-Md); Sheila Jackson Lee, subspecies Cowgirlwormiss flatulentitis; Joy Behar (another undetermined subhuman species); Schumer,subspecies (NY Bullcrapis mangerer); and Nancy Pelosi, the Italian subspecies import, Flatheaded Gardenesis Flukeface.
#31. Giant Predatory Worm - Comey. I thought it was “Adam Schiff”. If there was ever a flatworm/flatheaded creature, it is ShitforBrains. A real dung-eater, I’m told.
It looks like a Bipalium Platyhelmenthes. They are all over the humid and forested areas of Tokyo during the middle of summer. I love watching these things, especially when I can find an earthworm to feed to them. I’ve seen them up to 1.5 meters long. They are creepy as heck, but I love to study them.
The veil is not “Islamic” firstly. Secondly, it’s for women, not for blokes. Thirdly, this “priest” is an idiot.
Hmmmmmm…..
Ah, any culture that will eat a snail will find a way to prepare a worm that big.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.