Land Planarians

Nature Talk
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https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=any&subview=table&taxon_id=64222&user_id=mira_l_b&verifiable=any

I have the invasive wandering broadheaded planarian in my garden. So only half cool ;)

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Yes, I suppose the novelty would wear off.

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Oh no! I’m just grumpy at their invasion. How can the novelty of a creature so strange ever wear off!?!

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Jeepers! Those are very odd looking critters (eyebrows up!)

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I had the urge to flip over firewood logs and large stones in my garden after it snowed this week. I ended up finding several B. kewense individuals despite never having seen them there before. Not sure if this was due to the (very wet) snow or because I was on the lookout after reading this thread, but still pretty cool (though not for the earthworms, I suppose)

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These are no land planarians but Onychophora. I saw one of these only once in Ecuador (unfortunately no picture, though) but I always loved them coming up in lectures. Cute ones.

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I’ve never seen a hammerhead one - only 10 records of Bipaliinae on iNat for Australia so they don’t seem to be very common here. Most of the Geoplanidae I find are nocturnal after rain so hiding under logs and rocks during the day. Some of the ones in more arid areas “hibernate” under there until the next rains. But I guess their soft, moist bodies are physically slug-like so expect to see them where and when you see slugs.

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I found this really cool YouTube video about hammerhead worms. Some of them are a LOT more spectacularly colorful than the invasive ones most of us get to see.

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