Toxin-secreting hammerhead flatworms spotted in Westmount

An invasive species increasingly present in North America that secretes a paralyzing toxin has been found in Westmount.

Lisa Osterland, a retired teacher, discovered about 20 hammerhead flatworms (also called bipalium) in her garden.

Earlier this week, she was removing slugs that eat flowers in her garden when she noticed a kind of invertebrate that she had never seen before.

A few days later, she came across a report from CNN that said hammerhead flatworms were now spreading in New York State.

"The shape of the worm was the same as what I had seen [in the garden, so] I knew right away what it was," she told The Canadian Press.

The retiree says she spent a lot of time collecting the worms at night, the time of day when they seem to be more active, and then handed them over to a team of entomologists from Université de Montréal.

In recent years, a few sightings of hammerhead flatworms have been reported in Gatineau and Montreal, but this is the first time so many have been reported in the province.

The worms spreading is cause for concern because of the paralyzing toxin they secrete. 

Université de Montréal entomologist Étienne Normandin says the tetrodotoxin that hammerhead flatworms produce — also found in pufferfish — is one of the most powerful molecules in the biological world.

If ingested, the toxin first affects the face, tongue and esophagus, a situation requiring immediate medical attention, he said.

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"If a toddler puts dirt in their mouth and ingests a flatworm or two or more, expect a real risk of harm," he added.

Hammerhead flatworms are also a hazard to birds, dogs, and other critters that frequent gardens.

The presence of a predator like the hammerhead flatworm also threatens soil biodiversity.