Horsehair worm
Scientific Name: Phylum Nematomorpha
Order & Family: Order Gordioidea, Families various (such as Gordiidae)
Size: Commonly 4 inches to over 14 inches (10 to 35 cm) long, and only 0.04 to 0.12 inches thick.
Natural Habitat
Found in freshwater environments like ponds, streams, and puddles; larvae are parasitic within terrestrial insects.
Diet & Feeding
Adults do not eat; larvae are parasites that absorb nutrients from the body cavity of hosts like grasshoppers, crickets, or beetles.
Behavior Patterns
Adults are free-living aquatic organisms that mate in water. Larvae infect land-dwelling insects and eventually manipulate the host's behavior to seek water, where the adult worm emerges.
Risks & Benefits
Harmless to humans, pets, and plants. Benefits the ecosystem by regulating populations of certain insects like crickets and grasshoppers.
Identified on: 6/3/2026