Weird fast moving worm thing?!

[bern]

Hi all. Wondering what on earth I was looking at last night. Me and a friend were walking back with the dogs down the side of a farmer's field at about 10:30 last night. A walk I've done hundreds of times. It was dark (obviously) and loads of people don't bother to pick their dogs st up so I had my head torch on.

As I was walking in front I noticed 'things' moving on to path, at first I thought it was shadows from the grass and my head torch giving the effect of moving. On closer inspection I started to see hundreds of these small worm things spread out on the bare earth. As you got near them they shot back in to their hole and completely disappeared. At first my mate thought I was cracking up but then he started seeing them as well.

When he got home he found 2. 1 on his dog and 1 on the floor in his kitchen. I couldn't find any on my dogs.

So what were they? They looked pretty much like standard earth worms but I've never seen a worm move as fast as that!

[Zetec-S]

Probably earthworms

If I take the dog out in the garden when it's dark you see loads on the grass, especially if it's wet. Shine the torch on them and they slide back in their hole pretty quick.

[55palfers]

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/uk-news/gardene...

These perhaps?

[bern]

Zetec-S said:

Probably earthworms

If I take the dog out in the garden when it's dark you see loads on the grass, especially if it's wet. Shine the torch on them and they slide back in their hole pretty quick.

Probably hopefully this isn't my ambilans moment!

I've just never seen a worm move that fast!

[tribbles]

Have you been watching Dune?

[gmasterfunk]

This reminds me of that documentary "Tremors"

[williamp]

Might be a type of worm. Latin name Gelida farciminis

Google translate it..

[cavebloke]

Or these reportedly introduced from Asia into California and maybe the UK…

‘Extremely active’ jumping worms that can leap a foot raise alarm in California

[forwood]

You're describing the exact same experience I had one night, about 2 weeks ago. Dozens of worm-like creatures quickly slithering back into holes after my head torch illuminated them on a path through a field while walking my dog. I wondered if they were slow worms, which are neither worms nor slow but members of the lizard family. They weren't that big, looked dark brown / black. The alternative is earthworms. Wasn't able to see one close up and there weren't any bought back to the house by the dog. Fascinating to see however.

[otolith]

forwood said:

You're describing the exact same experience I had one night, about 2 weeks ago. Dozens of worm-like creatures quickly slithering back into holes after my head torch illuminated them on a path through a field while walking my dog. I wondered if they were slow worms, which are neither worms nor slow but members of the lizard family. They weren't that big, looked dark brown / black. The alternative is earthworms. Wasn't able to see one close up and there weren't any bought back to the house by the dog. Fascinating to see however.

Anglers collect large earthworms ("lobworms") by quietly walking on damp grass at night. The worms come part way out of their holes to feed. You have to grab them and then wait for them to relax before gradually pulling them out of their hole.

https://bauer-xcel-8aey.squarespace.com/advice/bai...

[simon_harris]

have you seen stranger things?

[Equus]

forwood said:

You're describing the exact same experience I had one night, about 2 weeks ago. Dozens of worm-like creatures quickly slithering back into holes after my head torch illuminated them on a path through a field while walking my dog. I wondered if they were slow worms, which are neither worms nor slow but members of the lizard family. They weren't that big, looked dark brown / black. The alternative is earthworms. Wasn't able to see one close up and there weren't any bought back to the house by the dog. Fascinating to see however.

Slow worms don't live in holes, neither are they active at this time of year, or at night (being reptiles, they hibernate through the winter in the UK, and when out of hibernation are active in daylight when the sun is there to warm them).

[QJumper]

bern said:

I've just never seen a worm move that fast!

They can travel millions of miles, in less than a second, through wormholes.