(WHDH) — Reported sightings of snake-like worms with hammerheads that look like a creature from the hit show “Stranger Things” are on the rise in the Southeastern United States.
Dozens of shovel-headed garden worm sightings have been reported in Georgia in recent months, with more than 100 in the Atlanta area alone, according to the website iNaturalist.
The invasive species have a moon-shaped head and can grow to be more than a foot in length, James Murphy, of the University of Georgia, told CNN. Their mouths are said to be located midway down their bodies.
The worms also produces the same deadly neurotoxin as pufferfish, a study conducted by Utah State University indicates.
Murphy told the news outlet that the toxin may be help the worms catch prey and avoid being eaten.
Chad Johnson, of Stone Mountain, Georgia, is one of the many people who has had a close encounter with one of the worms.
“My initial reaction was, ‘OMG! Is it a snake or a venomous parasite? Will it jump, spit or what?'” Johnson told 7NEWS.
Johnson noted that he has seen two other worms since the initial sighting on Nov. 13.
The worms have the ability to reproduce if their bodies are cut, according to Murphy.
Murphy added that records indicate the worms have been around for nearly a century and the uptick in sightings could be linked to easier access to cameras.
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