Land Planarian (Hammerhead Worm relative)
Scientific Name: Bipalium sp.
Order & Family: Order: Tricladida, Family: Geoplanidae
Size: Species dependent, ranging from 1 to 20 inches (2.5 to 50 cm).
Natural Habitat
Damp environments, leaf litter, moist soil, and occasionally greenhouses or gardens after rain.
Diet & Feeding
Carnivorous; they primarily feed on earthworms, slugs, snails, and small arthropods using a pharynx.
Behavior Patterns
Nocturnal hunters that leave mucus trails; they reproduce both sexually and via fragmentation (asexual).
Risks & Benefits
Invasive in many regions, disrupting ecosystems by depleting earthworm populations; can produce tetrodotoxin (a neurotoxin) and may carry parasitic larvae, so they should not be handled with bare hands.
Identified on: 5/20/2026