Invasive and toxic hammerhead worms make themselves at home in Ontario
Ontario is now home to an invasive and toxic worm species that can grow up to three feet long and can be dangerous to small animals and pets.
Numerous reports have been made that hammerhead worms, also known as the broadhead planarian, have been recently spotted in Newmarket, Hamilton, and the Kitchener area.
“They are here,” John Reynolds, a laboratory biologist and worm expert told CTV News Toronto on Friday. “People are surprised to see them because they’re just so unusual. People are not used to seeing them. They are a semi-tropical organism originally.”
The worms, originally from Southeast Asia, were likely brought into the province accidently through nursery stock material possibly from the U.S., Reynolds said. For years, the worms have been spotted across America and in Quebec.
“They don’t go very far on their own. They need to be transported,” Reynolds said. “They can spread quickly because if you cut them up, each piece becomes a new individual.”
The hammerhead worm, which gets its name due to the flat shape of its head, has a very dangerous neurotoxin called tetrodotoxin which is also found in pufferfish, Reynolds said. While the toxin can be lethal for small animals, it will only produce a rash for people.
“They are not seriously harmful to people,” he said. “They may make an awful rash and make your hands tingly for a bit. If you ingest one by mistake, it will just make you nauseous. It certainly won’t be fatal.”
The Kitchener-based worm expert advised people to not pick up the worms with their bare hands, and to always use gloves or a shovel to pick them up.
People have made reports and posted photos of the hammerhead worms they have found in Ontario on iNaturalist.ca, an invasive and native species reporting platform. The most recent reports are from the end of March but there are reports of the worms in the province dating back to 2019.
“These worms have been here, but in such low numbers that they were originally overlooked, but they just become more visible recently,” Reynolds said, adding that as the number of these worms increase, the more sightings and more awareness there will be.
Emily Posteraro from the Invasive Species Centre told CTV News Toronto on Friday that she encourages people to report any sightings of the worms or any invasive species to the centre or on iNaturalist.ca. In some cases, she added, it would be important to report an invasive species to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
“Ideally get the precise location information, an address,” she said. “And get some photos because that’s really the only way the detection can be verified.”
Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry told CTV News Toronto that they are encouraging people to report sightings via the Early Detection and Distribution Mapping System, which is an online tracking system.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Air turbulence: When can it become dangerous?
Flight turbulence like that encountered by a Singapore Airlines flight on Tuesday is extremely common, but there's one aspect of severe turbulence an aviation expert says can lead to serious injury.
B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton hospitalized after prison attack
British Columbia serial killer Robert Pickton was attacked and sustained life-threatening injuries in a Quebec prison Sunday in what officials described as a 'major assault.'
opinion Tom Mulcair: With Trudeau spiralling, Mark Carney waits in the wings
In his latest column for CTVNews.ca, former NDP leader Tom Mulcair argues that if there's an unofficial frontrunner in the eventual race to replace Justin Trudeau as Liberal leader, it has to be former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney.
Toronto Blue Jays fan struck by 110 m.p.h foul ball offered tickets, signed baseball by team
The Toronto Blue Jays have offered tickets and a signed baseball to a fan who says she was struck in the face by a 110 m.p.h (177 km/h) foul ball at Friday’s game.
OPP continues to investigate boat collision north of Kingston, Ont. that left 3 people dead
Ontario Provincial Police continue to investigate a long weekend fatal boat collision on Bobs Lake, north of Kingston, Ont.
Matthew Perry's death is being investigated over ketamine level found in actor's blood, reports say
An investigation has been opened into the death of Matthew Perry and how the “Friends” actor received the anesthetic ketamine, which was ruled a contributing factor in his death.
Police in Ontario say suspects charged in armed home invasion near Toronto part of 'larger criminal network'
Police in Ontario say a group of suspects charged in an armed home invasion north of Toronto last year were driving a vehicle stolen in a carjacking in Calgary just one month earlier.
Orphan orca's extended family spotted off northeast side of Vancouver Island
Members of a killer whale pod related to an orphan orca calf that escaped a remote British Columbia tidal lagoon last month have been spotted off the northeast coast of Vancouver Island.
WATCH Why today's inflation numbers are good if you have a mortgage
New inflation data is 'welcome news' for consumers and an economist says it could signal the possibility for a interest rate cut as several core measures also continue to ease.