Horsehair worm

Found in both aquatic and damp terrestrial environments, often in puddles, water troughs, or near swimming pools.

The adults do not eat; they focus solely on reproduction. Larvae are parasites inside insects like crickets or grasshoppers, absorbing nutrients from their hosts.

Life begins as an egg which hatches into larvae that are eaten by host insects. They develop inside their host and, once mature, they manipulate the host's behavior to find water. They emerge from the host into water to mate and lay eggs.

They are harmless to humans, pets, and plants. They provide a minor benefit to ecosystems by naturally controlling the populations of some common insect pests like crickets.