Keeping terrestrial planarians?

[GiantVinegaroon]

While I was collecting soil samples for a class today I happened upon a terrestrial planarian. I currently have it in a petri dish with a lid and weight. It's being kept on filter paper dampened with spring water. However, he's been curled up since I brought him in. Is this normal? Should I replace the damp paper with soil?

 

[Kirk]

From what I know of them, land planarians are fairly cryptic, and usually prefer to be hidden. They're carnivorous, and require humid conditions. It might be best to keep it in conditions similar to the habitat from where you found it, maybe a small terrarium. But be careful about any openings from which it could escape.

 

[GiantVinegaroon]

From what I know of them, land planarians are fairly cryptic, and usually prefer to be hidden. They're carnivorous, and require humid conditions. It might be best to keep it in conditions similar to the habitat from where you found it, maybe a small terrarium. But be careful about any openings from which it could escape.

I thought about doing that. Replicating the habitat. Shouldn't be hard at all. Just would involve getting a clump of soil from under the rock it was found under! I understand they eat earthworms...

 

[Kirk]

I thought about doing that. Replicating the habitat. Shouldn't be hard at all. Just would involve getting a clump of soil from under the rock it was found under! I understand they eat earthworms...

Yes, some eat earthworms, and there are some introduced planarian species that appear to be decimating native earthworm populations. They might also feed on small arthropods. Don't be surprised if you never see it once in a terrarium.

 

[GiantVinegaroon]

Yes, some eat earthworms, and there are some introduced planarian species that appear to be decimating native earthworm populations. They might also feed on small arthropods. Don't be surprised if you never see it once in a terrarium.

Yea I don't expect it to surface in a terrarium...unless maybe I leave dead worms or arthropods at the surface?

 

[Kirk]

Yea I don't expect it to surface in a terrarium...unless maybe I leave dead worms or arthropods at the surface?

They might prefer live food, and if they do emerge it'll probably be at night.

 

[P.jasonius]

You might try a flat rock, or at least a flat-bottomed rock (so you can pick it up and look under it) to put in the keep.
Do you have pics? There are some good looking flatworms out there.

 

[GiantVinegaroon]

You might try a flat rock, or at least a flat-bottomed rock (so you can pick it up and look under it) to put it the keep.
Do you have pics? There are some good looking flatworms out there.

No pics right now. I'll try and get some later

 

[Scythemantis]

I found over twenty of the shovel-headed predators here in Florida last year, and couldn't get a single one of them to eat. I tried all sizes of earthworm, all kinds of substrate...everything I read online said they were INSATIABLE and could slaughter every worm they come across, but all my earthworms just squirmed around the soil until they died slowly. They should be withered in places and expel a lot of blood if the planarians attack them.

You may be pleased to know, though, that I saw my worms crawling around all the time after nightfall, even under electric lighting. Maybe they can only detect natural sunlight?

A few species aren't carnivorous, mind you. If it has a spade-shaped head and a long body it probably is, but there are some stringy and leaf-shaped species whose diets are harder to research.

 

[GiantVinegaroon]

Well I got some soil from underneath the rock I discovered him under. I dropped in a small earthworm yesterday and hadn't seen it while sifting the soil to see how he was doing.

 

[dtknow]

Interesting. That sounds like it'd be a neat addition to a viv with a worm problem. Do they leave bad slime trails? I remember trying to feed these to various animals and they excrete a viscous slime that gums them up or tries to.

 

[Kirk]

I found over twenty of the shovel-headed predators here in Florida last year, and couldn't get a single one of them to eat. I tried all sizes of earthworm, all kinds of substrate...everything I read online said they were INSATIABLE and could slaughter every worm they come across, but all my earthworms just squirmed around the soil until they died slowly. They should be withered in places and expel a lot of blood if the planarians attack them.

You may be pleased to know, though, that I saw my worms crawling around all the time after nightfall, even under electric lighting. Maybe they can only detect natural sunlight?

A few species aren't carnivorous, mind you. If it has a spade-shaped head and a long body it probably is, but there are some stringy and leaf-shaped species whose diets are harder to research.

The most common call I get regarding worm sitings in southern California are for the introduced planarian, Bipalium kewense. These have been distributed through much of the southern US. I added this page to my site to give a bit of info on them.

 

[Galapoheros]

I liked reading that page on your site. The first time I saw that species of Flatworm in Texas was when I was a kid in the late 60's, in Houston after a rain. They were climbing up the sliding glass door, I thought they were really cool and have seen some since in Bryan tx and San Marcos tx. Good info on the Horsehair worm too for me. When I was a kid, I would go to the local golf course during a flood and once found a puddle full of a bunch of those Horsehair worms, some white, some brown with a dark tip. I "thought" they were terrestrial/burrowers and tried to keep them that way, didn't realize the adults where aquatic.

 

[GiantVinegaroon]

Interesting. That sounds like it'd be a neat addition to a viv with a worm problem. Do they leave bad slime trails? I remember trying to feed these to various animals and they excrete a viscous slime that gums them up or tries to.

Most planarians are like that. They don't have a complete gut tract so it's possible that nitrogenous wastes are excreted through the skin and get trapped in the slime, making them taste bad.

 

[Techuser]

There are also some non-burrowers planarians, those arent predators are they? I use to see a colored species in tree trunks

 

[Kirk]

There are also some non-burrowers planarians, those arent predators are they? I use to see a colored species in tree trunks

Most species are carnivorous, but I don't have a count on which that are terrestrial might be herbivores, if at all. I've seen some in tropical habitats that are visible during the day, but this is probably more a matter of high humidity allowing for more venturesome excursions.

 

[GiantVinegaroon]

Most species are carnivorous, but I don't have a count on which that are terrestrial might be herbivores, if at all. I've seen some in tropical habitats that are visible during the day, but this is probably more a matter of high humidity allowing for more venturesome excursions.

That's what I'd guess. I don't really think any are herbivorous

 

[Finntroll86]

Some are decomposers or rather all can eat dead organism? Also how big is the one you found?

I guess if you wanted a colony just break out the knife lol.

 

[Galapoheros]

Haha, actually I tried that one time but I couldn't get it to work, none made it. Only tried it with a couple though.

 

[Finntroll86]

Haha, actually I tried that one time but I couldn't get it to work, none made it. Only tried it with a couple though.

Lame! Which way did you cut? vertically or horizontally? I wonder if only few species of flatworms can do it, or if it needs perfect environmental conditions(nutrients, temp, bacteria/protozoan free, etc.) to do so.