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
NEW 'Oh my God, you're my brother': Manitoba man discovers six unknown siblings
After receiving a DNA kit one Christmas from his son-in-law, Hugh McCormick soon discovered that he had six unknown siblings, with whom he shared the same birth parents.
Canucks hold off Oilers for 4-3 win in Game 3
Brock Boeser had two goals and an assist, and the Vancouver Canucks hung on for a 4-3 win over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 3 of their second-round Stanley Cup playoff series.
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Ottawa pizzeria places among top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world at international competition
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Man fatally 'slashed in the neck' in downtown Toronto, suspect outstanding
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.
WATCH Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
'He's in our hearts': Family and friends still seek answers one year after Nathan Wise's disappearance
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
Wildfire near Fort McMurray more than triples overnight, several evacuation alerts remain in place
The fire burning near Fort McMurray grew from 25 hectares to 5,500 hectares over the weekend.