Tag: fantasy

Hammerhead

June 17

Inside the back section of my local newspaper was an article on an invasive species that has been reported in Texas.  The worms have been reported throughout Texas for decades but several weeks of excessive rainfall have literally flushed the creatures into the open.  Usually, during the day the worms can be found under leaves, rocks, or logs.  The rain has brought them out to driveways, patios, and sidewalks.  Ashley Morgan-Olvera, director of the Texas Invasive Species Institute, said while the worms are not a direct threat to humans or household pets, they do have a lasting effect on the ecosystem as they prey on the earthworms that are responsible for distributing oxygen, draining water, and creating space for plant roots.  This genus is collectively known as hammerhead worms.

When I went online, I found hammerhead worms (Bipalium) are a genus of large predatory land flatworms (planarians), also known as broadhead planarians.  The name Bipalium comes from Latin bi- (two) and pala (shovel or spade), because species in this genus resemble a pickaxe.  Hammerhead worms are unique in that they possess a highly ciliated (hair-like) region on the ventral epidermis (a creeping sole) that helps them to creep over the substrate.  The worm is typically light honey colored with a darker collar and one to five strips on its body.  The worm can grow up to 15 inches (38 cm) in length.  Bipalium species are predatory and some species prey on earthworms while others also feed on mollusks.  These flatworms can track their prey.  To feed on their prey, the hammerhead often turns the pharynges out of their mouths (evert), which are located on the midventral portion of their bodies and secrete enzymes that begin the digestion of the prey.  The liquefied tissues are sucked into the branching gut of the flatworms by ciliary action.  Hammerhead worms are native to Asia, but several species are invasive to the US, Canada, and Europe.

The hammerhead does not bite but they do secrete a poisonous chemical for protection from predators which can cause skin irritation.  If a cat or dog eats a hammerhead it will likely get nauseated and throw it up, but there is no long-term threat.  Morgan-Olvera said if you see a hammerhead do not try to kill it or cut it up.  The worm can reproduce asexually and if you cut it up and leave it in the yard a new head could form within about ten days.  To dispose of the worm, place the whole worm in a resealable bag with salt or vinegar and put it in the trash.  The worms can also be sprayed with a combination of citrus oil (orange essence) and vinegar.  You should always wear gloves when handling the worms to avoid irritation and wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water followed by hand sanitizer.  The Texas Invasive Species Institute is asking if you spot a hammerhead that you contact your local extension agent to let them know

THOUGHTS: Four invasive species of hammerhead worms have been found in the US which are thought to have come via infected plants and soil.  The worms are veracious predators and have been identified as a nuisance in the earthworm raising beds of the southern US.  In 2019, the worms were found as far north as Montreal, Canada.  The worms have few natural enemies due to their toxic surface secretions and control is difficult.  However, because of their cannibalistic tendencies they may be their own worst enemy.  While humans are rarely cannibalistic, we are also considered our own worst enemy.  Rather than following an innate need to survive, the danger comes from a conscious choice to harm each other.  The choice can also provide compassion and aid.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.

Seadevil

February 19, 2025

My NY Times feed carried a story about an eerie looking creature from the ocean’s depths that has become an inspiration for intense emotions on social media.  It is easy to believe a fish with a gaping mouth of razor-sharp teeth, a bioluminescent rod sticking out of its head, and lidless eyes to scan the darkest depths of the ocean, might elicit fear.  The freakish looking creature is also moving people to tears of emotion.  Social media has turned the fish into a folk hero after it swam great lengths from its usual home 650 to 6,500 feet (200 to 2,000 m) deep in the ocean to the surface.  Fans of the fish have turned this odyssey (which ended in death) into a version of the hero’s journey, a quest to reach the light.  Hannah Backman, of Minneapolis, who posted about the fish on TikTok, said she succumbed to the poetry of a lone fish approaching the light, “spending her literal last seconds trying to do something beautiful.”  The fish made headlines in late January when it was spotted by a group of researchers off the coast of Tenerife in the Spanish Canary Islands.  The team observed the fish, which was already injured, for several hours and it ultimately died.  Fans of the Black seadevil anglerfish have posted tributes set to ballads, written poems, created fan art, and even gotten tattoos.

When I looked online, I found a Black seadevil (Melanocetus johnsonii) is small, deep-sea fish of the order lophiiform and family Melanocetidae.  There are five known species (only two are given common names) within the genus Melanocetus.  They are found in tropical to temperate waters of the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans, with one species known only from the Ross Sea.  The Black seadevils are named for their intimidating appearance and typically pitch-black skin and are characterized by a gelatinous, mostly scaleless, globose body, a large head, and their large, sharp, glassy, fang-like teeth lining the jaws of a cavernous mouth.  These teeth are depressible and present only in females.  Like other anglerfishes, the black seadevil possess a modified dorsal spine “fishing rod” (illicium) and a bulbous, bioluminescent “fishing lure” (esca).  The bioluminescence is produced by symbiotic bacteria thought to enter the esca via an external duct suggesting they originate from the surrounding seawater.  The bacteria are apparently different in each anglerfish species.  There is a strong sexual dimorphism, with females reaching a length of 7 inches (18 cm) or more, and males under 1 inch (3 cm).  Males also lack lures.

It is unclear why the seadevil came to the surface, although scientists speculate it might have been from an illness or an unusual current.  The fans on TikTok have woven a beautiful, albeit fanciful, narrative for the fish.  This is a story of a creature in its final days, desperate to experience a source of light not generated by its own body.  Madison Sharp, a behavioral therapist in Dallas, noticed an outpouring of emotion for the fish in her social media feeds.  “Instead of just seeing a fish reach the surface, they see hope, and meaning, and symbolism,” she said.  She was inspired to draw a picture of the seadevil approaching the surface, adding tears to its eyes, and the word “finally” floating above the waterline.  “I think the most important part was the expression of the fish,” she said. “I added the little eyebrow on top to show the longing of it.”  Well, there you go.

THOUGHTS: Humans often turn charismatic animals into anthropomorphized heroes.  Consider Flaco, the Eurasian eagle-owl that escaped from the Central Park Zoo.  Sadly, neither Flaco nor the seadevil survived.  It seems their death is taken as indicative about our own struggle with life.    Or as sci-fi writer David Gerrold is quoted, “Life is hard.  Then you die.  Then they throw dirt in your face.  Then the worms eat you.  Be grateful it happens in that order.”  Being anthropomorphic about a seadevil does not seems so bad after all.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.