CLEVELAND, Ohio – A slimy, carnivorous, toxic, immortal worm sounds like something from a science fiction movie, or out of your nightmares – but it is real.

Don’t worry, though. The hammerhead worm is more hype than harm. The invasive species that shares the name of a well-known shark has wormed its way into Ohio.

An attentive homeowner in Trumbull County spotted the invasive hammerhead worm in his yard earlier this month and notified The Ohio State University Extension office in the county.

Lee Beers, an extension educator in the county, said the homeowner helped researchers track the worm’s presence in the state. In addition to Trumbull County, hammerhead worms have also been spotted in Darke, Geauga, Lake and Portage counties.

“The hammerhead worm is a species of terrestrial flatworms that are characteristically shine and covered with a slime-like substance,” Beers said. “Their crescent-shaped head makes them easy to spot, and are usually orange, yellow or brown with one to several stripes.”

Hammerhead worms vary in size, with some reaching 12-18 inches long. Their mouths are in an unusual spot, located on the underside of their body toward the middle, and they wrap around their prey to consume it. Hammerhead worms are also predatory, eating other organisms that commonly live in dirt like earthworms, snails, slugs and arthropods.

Like puffer fish, hammerhead worms produce a neurotoxin called tetrodotoxin to help them eat their prey. Although it is in small quantities in the worm, it can cause irritation if touched by bare skin.

According to the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA), the hammerhead worm has been in Ohio since at least 2004. It has been in Pennsylvania since the 1950s and appeared in California in the 1940s.

“Outside of the initial shock or being startled, there’s really not much to be concerned about,” Beers said. “But if you do see one, you recognize what it is. Some people are very sensitive to the mucous, so if you want to move it, make sure you’re wearing gloves because it can cause some skin irritation.”

Beers said to get rid of the invasive worm use salt, vinegar or rubbing alcohol as long as it doesn’t damage nearby plants. “Cutting it in half may just cause it to regenerate into two worms instead of one because they can reproduce asexually by biting off,” Beers said.

“We don’t really know what the long-term consequences are,” Beers said. “They’ve been here for so long in other parts of the country that they haven’t seen positive or negative impacts.”

This invasive species is native to Southeast Asia and has an affinity to hot, humid locations such as the southern United States. Those at the ODA believe that these worms were introduced to new areas across the country thanks to human trade and movement of items like soil and potted plants around the world.

Chris Carlton, director emeritus at the Louisiana State University Agriculture Center, warned that the hammerhead worm kills the good worms, and that’s not good news for any type of farmer.

“These worms eat slugs, insects and snails, but unfortunately they kill the good worms, too,” Carlton said. “And we all know the importance of the common earthworm because of their role in the decomposition of organic matters, increased soil aeration, water movement and plant growth.”