Land planarians can be a serious earthworm predator in certain parts of the world – generally they are more of a threat in warmer regions, but certain species are found in more temperate zones as well. Many flatworms are parasitic, but the Shovel-headed Garden Worm is a free-living terrestrial species. These worms belong to the Phylum Platyhelminthes, or flatworms because of their flattened bodies. It has been identified as Bipalium kewense, a relatively common flatworm species that is native to India and China. We got to see these slimy suckers at the Forest Guest House, in Bondla Sanctuary, Goa a little while ago. This is a creature that should genuinely strike fear into the hearts of any worm farmers who found them in their worm beds – the dreaded land planarian (aka ‘flatworm’ or ‘shovel head worm’).
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