Land Planarians?

[finman31]

I found a land planarian the other day.I kept it,and it is currently residing in a plastic jar,with very wet dirt/peat substrate.He is chowing on worms like crazy,even eating 7-8 at a time.He swells up like a ballon.WHat is neat is he actually bite the worms in pieces as he slurps them down.He looks like a green leech with yellow lines running down each side.He is only 3" when "pulled together",and about 5" stretched.I know they get huge.I have caught 4 in my life,one was about 12" stretched.I found out they pig out on worms because I caught one when I was young and was hunting for worms to fish with.I put him in the jar of worms to use as bait also.When I got to the creek I was fishing in,all my worms was gone,and I had the planarian left swollen so big it could barely move.It ate at least 15-20 big worms.I cant hardly find anything out about him.I found some gray ones,but nothing like him.Anybody ever kept one or know anything about them?

 

[Scythemantis]

I only know of them from books, they sound absolutely amazing. I hope to own some one day, maybe even breed them if that's possible (though they sound quite ravenous)

 

[Bungholio]

Could you make photos of them? It sounds very interesting.

 

[padkison]

I saw these once or twice last summer crawling around at the edge of the road. I didn't know what they were until I asked a bug expert. Weird looking things. I'll snag the next one I see for awhile to observe.

 

[rm90]

I did a search on google for Land Planarian and this is what came up:

Click here to goto Google Images for "Land Planarian"

 

[finman31]

Yeaah,I did that also,that isnt the color of the one I have,mine is green with yellow stripes on its side.I will try to get a pic if I can borrow camera.It is actually very neat.I am going hunting tommorow for more.
Here is the closest thing I can find online that looks like the ones i have here,but this is a European planarian.Mine is also way brighter in color...and its green and yellow,not brown and creme..
http://www.habitas.org.uk/gardenflora/images/nzflatworm1.jpg

 

[bistrobob85]

Wow, looks like some kind of terrestrial leech . I lost all my aquatic ones, maybe that would be a good alternative!!!! Keep us posted on your planarian's progress and try posting some pictures... they seem really interesting... %"$% do i miss my leeches...

phil.

 

[Scythemantis]

You keep leeches? That's another thing I've always wanted to try.

Planarians are flatworms though, very different from annelids.

 

[finman31]

Whats really neat about this planarian is how they feed...it shreds worms to bits! I mean when it is done eating there is bits of worm everywhere..I will try to get pics tonight.Since I have had him,about a week,he has ate at least 3 dozen worms.He is insatiable.I am hunting some this weekend,its my first chance to hunt since where I live had bad storms and my house got trashed.If i catch any more I will post pics also.

 

[ilovebugs]

I've found a few around my house. but it wasn't until recently I knew what they were (thought they were some weird slug) I would like to keep one now.
I currently share 4 of the aquatic type with my sister. she had two from a science class, and she split one into two a later we found out she had slpit it into three on accident, but all three peices are still alive. w plan on splitting one halfway down the middle of the head to make a two headed one.

do you know if land planarians regenerate? and if you can split them up and such?

 

[Scythemantis]

Not having teeth, they tear their prey apart with acid.

 

[cacoseraph]

I've found a few around my house. but it wasn't until recently I knew what they were (thought they were some weird slug) I would like to keep one now.
I currently share 4 of the aquatic type with my sister. she had two from a science class, and she split one into two a later we found out she had slpit it into three on accident, but all three peices are still alive. w plan on splitting one halfway down the middle of the head to make a two headed one.

do you know if land planarians regenerate? and if you can split them up and such?

ahaha, i was just going to ask that. one of my books on invertebrates did all kinds of crazy things the their planarians.... made the two headed snake kind... made a tailless two header (head on each end)... experimented with attaching the head of one onto a full planarian at various points (the closer they attached the "extra" head to the "real" head the more seeming control the extra head had on the body)

they might be simple... but they sure are sweet!