I Spy, with my little eye, something that
is oddly acrobatic and very entertaining
is usually found in/near water
as an adult, does not eat anything
ranges from 1/80 to 1/10 inch in diameter
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| I feel something squiggling under my right paw! |
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| WOW!!! Can you see it? |
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| Pictured with yarn and sewing thread |
Although related to nematodes, they are called Horsehair Worms because they "resemble the hair of a horse's tail or mane." They are also called Gordian Worms because of their tendency to twist into knots (as you can see in the above videos). They are apparently harmless to humans, pets and plants (the same cannot be said about the crickets, beetles, etc. that they inhabit for most of their lives). After the rain stopped, we found the unfortunate beetle that had housed this adult in its larval stage. You can read more about this unusual creature at:
http://lancaster.unl.edu/pest/resources/horsehairworm.shtml
or
http://sunsite.ualberta.ca/Projects/Aquatic_Invertebrates/?Page=13
hello bodi its dennis the vizsla dog hay hmm i dont no it sownds like sum sort of dayndjerus alien kreetcher to me!!! like the alien frum alien or jar jar binks's hayr!!! ok bye
ReplyDeleteThat's what we thought!!! If the google search hadn't quickly eased our fears we would have had to call in the alien expertise of Dennis the Vizsla Dog!!
DeleteOh YUCK!
ReplyDeleteYucky yet fascinating! For something that has no ability to refuel, it had enough stored energy to twirl away in the pouring rain for at least an hour. A tad off course, though, highly doubtful that it found a mate on the deck railing.
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