Horsehair Worm

Found in freshwater environments like ponds, streams, and puddles, as well as damp soil.

Adults do not eat; larvae are parasites that feed on the internal tissues of insects like crickets, grasshoppers, and beetles.

As larvae, they reside inside a host insect; once mature, they manipulate the host to find water, where they emerge as adults to mate and lay eggs.

Harmless to humans, livestock, and pets; they are beneficial to the ecosystem as they help control populations of certain insects.