'Crazy' creature found hiding on Aussie beaches stuns: 'Watch your toes'
The sand creatures are said to bite toes as beachgoers wander past.
Heading to the beach is the ultimate Aussie pastime and despite many of us spending countless hours on the sand, some people have been shocked to learn there's often something wriggling, long and alien-like, below our toes all along.
Footage of an Aussie revealing that "giant worms" are found on thousands of beaches across the country has stunned millions, with foreigners and Aussies alike left aghast. "There's one thing that a lot of people still don't know about the beaches in Australia... they're called beach worms," says the man known as Trebags on TikTok.
"I'm going to catch one for you, I'll show you what they look like," he says, showing himself pulling a long creature out of the wet sand after digging a deep hole first.
"If you're ever down here, keep your eyes peeled and yeah, watch your toes, because it'll give you a nasty, nasty little nip... it's crazy."
After the footage was shared online, many claimed this was "another reason" why they would never visit, with Aussies themselves saying they were "selling their citizenship" after learning about the worms.
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Worms inhabit 'large geographical range' in country
Giant beach worms, which can grow up to 1.5 metres in length, can be found as far north as Yeppoon, Queensland, and sweep right down and around to the South Australian coast. They are sought after by fishermen who dig them out and use them as bait.
"They have quite a large geographic range and there's a couple of different species," Daryl McPhee from Bond University told Yahoo News. He explained they use their long bodies to burrow into the sand and "wait" for prey to wash in and out with the waves, or anything that happens to walk above them.
"They like to stick their little head out and try and grab any passing food that washes," he said. "They eat anything they can scavenge, they're not particularly choosy in what they eat."
Despite Trebags saying beachgoers best be wary of them, claiming they are known to bite the toes of those who wander past, McPhee said this it's "rare" and giant worms are overall, completely harmless.
"The average punter's toes are safe," he confirmed.
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