Keeping terrestrial planarians?

[Galapoheros]

lol well, I'm thinking that they need good enviro conditions AND you need to do it right. I took a biology class in college where we sliced down the center of the head of Planaria, not many made it. Then one day, by myself I was hunting around the San Marcos tx river floodplain for "anything" and found several of the big flatworms under rotting logs. I tried it with those and I couldn't get it to work, they just retracted, where the "head" almost disappeared ...not that it can't happen though.

 

[dtknow]

Supposedly if you cut the incision correctly you can end up with two headed/tailed planarian.

 

[blazetown]

Interesting thread....but I still wanna kill half the planarians and other 'worms' on the planet....

P.S. you should name it Flat Head the googly eyed wiggly worm

 

[Scythemantis]

Interesting thread....but I still wanna kill half the planarians and other 'worms' on the planet....

Huh? I've never heard of anybody having anything against planarians.

 

[blazetown]

Actually there not that offensive at all. I hate the worms that Kirk studies lol...and anything parasitic.

 

[Kirk]

Actually there not that offensive at all. I hate the worms that Kirk studies lol...and anything parasitic.

Then I'm sure you'll love my pics in this thread.

 

[saltyscissors]

When down the marsh in my area, I sometimes find horse leeches (predatory). Beautiful creatures, think they'd be hard to care for?
Oh and planarians look really awesome. They look like little hammer-head jelly snakes. .

 

[GiantVinegaroon]

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.

I don't know if they eat dead organisms. I offered a piece of a worm that broke free when I tried picking it up to feed my frog. He moved his head but just went under the soil.

GOOD NEWS: He DID eat a live earthworm the other day...that was fun to watch as he wrapped around it kinda like a snake. That piece of worm is now mush and is being eaten by the little collembola in the soil.

As for his size...not too sure...I haven't tried measuring him, and he's very elastic...which makes me what exactly qualifies for a precise measuremant of a planarian...

I can say he's stretched his body out over 2 inches while holding onto worms though.

 

[GiantVinegaroon]

Supposedly if you cut the incision correctly you can end up with two headed/tailed planarian.

I've only seen this done with aquatic planarians. I've seen there are papers on regeneration of terrestrials, and they say it's been done and the process takes about two or three weeks. I am contemplating going out and collecting a few more to try this out(definitely not gonna risk the one I've grown attached too lol).

 

[GiantVinegaroon]

Interesting thread....but I still wanna kill half the planarians and other 'worms' on the planet....

P.S. you should name it Flat Head the googly eyed wiggly worm

He doesn't have eyespots :}

 

[blazetown]

Then I'm sure you'll love my pics in this thread.

I don't know how you could stand that. I would have ripped it off and stomped it to mush lol. The only time I cant stand touching them is when I'm putting it on a hook as bait.