I shrieked with glee when I saw this beautiful flatworm at a city greenway yesterday, crawling across the path. It’s an awesome “land planarian.” Ten-inches long! I used to find them under rocks in my backyard, back when there was more green space in my hometown. (And fewer pesticides.)
You can see the very delicate half-moon shaped head, which they tap against the ground as they move along. No eyes. They eat slugs and earthworms. Very slow, very tentative, very slimy. Lovely stripes!
They reproduce mostly by “fragmenting.” A fragment can move on its own right away and grows a new head within days. Is that fabulous or what? So many fantastic creatures….even here in the city.
