After weeks of heavy rain across North Texas, sightings of a toxic invasive worm are on the rise.
The hammerhead worm is popping up in counties throughout the Metroplex and experts say it’s a real threat to plants, animals, and even people.
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WATCH HEREAdam Ingle was on the porch of his home in Keller this week when he saw it: at more than a foot long, the largest worm he’d ever seen.
“And then noticed its head had a hammer shape,” said Ingle. “And it was terrifying, like these are truly the end times, even the worms are demonic.”
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SIGN UP It was a hammerhead worm - an invasive species from Southeast Asia that’s been in the United States since the late 1800s.
“If you see one, you won’t mistake it, it’s over a foot long, about 12, 15 inches long,” said Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller. “It’s got a big wide head on it, like a hammer, I mean just like it says.”
Experts told NBC 5 the hammerhead worm eats the earthworms that make compost that keeps soil healthy.
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Its skin also produces a neurotoxin that can cause rashes in humans and can be harmful to animals if eaten. You also can’t get rid of them easily.
“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,” said Miller. “Tear it in half, now you’ve got two worms.”
Experts say to kill a hammerhead worm you should put it in a bag and freeze it up to 48 hours, or leave it in a mix of salt and vinegar.
You should also report it to the Texas Invasive Species Institute.
As they pop up out of soggy soil across the Metroplex, some North Texans say they’re keeping on the lookout.
“To try to get rid of it,” said Ingle. “Because I’ve got a dog, I’ve got little kids, and I’ve got a garden, so this thing hates all of those things.”
