9/8/2023 0 Comments Flat head wormIt gets its name because the head of the worm looks similar to the head of the hammerhead shark. It is believed to have arrived in other countries, including the US, in the soil of nursery plants. The Hammerhead Predatory Worm (Bipalium sp) is an invasive predatory worm species that came to the US from Southeast Asia. Most of the free- living species live in aquatic habitats, but some live in moist soil.According to an article written by The Daily Journal online about hitchhiking predator worms, we need to be on the lookout for their migration, especially because of the danger they pose to our friendly earthworm. They eat other small invertebrates and decaying animals. At the very top of the head is a “crown” of hooks called a scolex. The head of a tapeworm has several suckers. Instead, they absorb nutrients directly from the host’s digestive system with their suckers. Unlike other invertebrates, tapeworms lack a mouth and digestive system. Tapeworms also have a scolex, a ring of hooks on their head to attach themselves to the host (see Figure below). Tapeworms and flukes have suckers and other structures for feeding on a host. How could such a complicated way of life evolve? The sheep liver fluke has a complicated life cycle with two hosts. If you follow the life cycle, you can see how each host becomes infected so the fluke can continue its life cycle. As an adult, the fluke has a vertebrate host. Look at the life cycle of the liver fluke in Figure below. Usually, more than one type of host is required to complete the parasite’s life cycle. Tapeworms live in the host’s digestive system. Flukes live in the host’s circulatory system or liver. \)īoth flukes and tapeworms are parasites with vertebrate hosts, including human hosts.
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