Something new...
"Come over to my truck," my husband calls out. "Something weird here, worms with tails!" We were both fascinated with this new creature. After pulling up the truck bed liner, he found dozens of these creatures.
Aliens? Worms with tails? The one I saw reminded me of a slug or leach. Were they imported? We have so many insects, birds, plants and animals that have been brought to the United States to "cure" something or other. The creatures usually overpopulate because they are missing a natural predator. In time they become a menace and mankind has to step in and try to solve another created mistake.
On a lark, we later googled- "worms with tails". Low and behold, others were asking the same questions.
They are...
RAT-TAILED MAGGOTS - the larval stage of the Drone fly. The "tails" aren't tails, but breathing tubes. They are found in stagnant water and need a way to breathe. Scuba-diving larva!
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If you are interested, the following is a great article about rat- tailed maggots.
Talk about information at our fingertips. Too bad it wasn't some new form of creature. You could have named it.
ReplyDeleteTalk about information at our fingertips. Too bad it wasn't some new form of creature. You could have named it.
ReplyDeleteHad to click the link because I'm always discovering new worms in my compost and chicken coop. But, ew! I haven't seen that one before.
ReplyDeleteI seriously love this piece despite (or because of?) the tingling of the hair on the back of my neck and shiver down my spine. It looks completely alien to me.
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid my comment is EWWWW! So what happened to the larva? Did you leave them alone or dispense them to a dry location so they die? Still thinking EWWWW!
ReplyDeleteEwww Patti! Your curiosity and desire to learn is admirable. I would have run for the hills!
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