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
Couple randomly attacked, 1 stabbed, by group of teens in Toronto, police say
A man has been transported to hospital after police say he was stabbed in a random attack carried out by a group of teens in Toronto on Friday night.
Ron Ellis, who played over 1,000 games with Maple Leafs, dead at 79
Ron Ellis, who played over 1,000 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs and was a member of Canada's team at the 1972 Summit Series, has died at age 79.
Fort Nelson, B.C., wildfire doubles in size as 3,000-plus ordered to evacuate
The wildfire that sparked Friday and caused evacuation orders for more than 3,000 people in Fort Nelson, B.C., and the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation, has grown to nearly 1,700 hectares in size, according to a Saturday morning update from the BC Wildfire Service.
Eurovision Song Contest final kicks off after protests, backstage chaos and a contestant's expulsion
The final of the 68th Eurovision Song Contest kicked off Saturday in the Swedish city of Malmo after days of protests and offstage drama that have tipped the feelgood musical celebration into a chaotic pressure cooker overshadowed by the war in Gaza.
IN PICTURES Northern lights dance across the night sky in southern Ont.
From London, to Grand Bend, Collingwood and Guelph, here are some highlights of Friday night and Saturday morning's northern lights display.
'I am angry': Alberta farmers will continue fight over world class motorsport resort
The rolling hills leading to the hamlet of Rosebud are dotted with sprawling farms and cattle pastures -- and a sign sporting a simple message: No Race Track.
opinion How to use your credit card as a powerful wealth-building tool
Irresponsibly using a credit card can land you in financial trouble, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew says when used properly, it can be a powerful wealth-building tool that can help grow your credit profile and create new opportunities.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Haitians demand the resignation and arrest of the country's police chief after a new gang attack
A growing number of civilians and police officers are demanding the dismissal and arrest of Haiti's police chief as heavily armed gangs launched a new attack in the capital of Port-au-Prince, seizing control of yet another police station early Saturday.