Land planarian in city park reproduces by fragmenting

land planarian

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.

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Posted in Wildlife

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These days, I blog mostly about nature and wildlife. Even the tiniest creatures make me happy! You'll also find here lots of posts about plant-based foods, health, and ecotourism. Ecotourism can support local people who make a living through sustainable use of wildlife, habitat, and natural resources.

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Our other blog, Veggie Revolution, focuses more on food than this one does, especially the environmental, health and humane aspects of our food choices. That blog was started in 2005 and continues today, while the blog you're reading now began in 2009. Some of the newer posts are on both blogs, but Veggie Rev has at least 260 more posts than this blog, including Sadie's travels to Morocco. In the sidebar of Veggie Rev, you'll see links to each year that can take you back to all the posts for a particular year.

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