Thousands of worms 'with legs like a centipede' take over Aussie creek
The 'alien' looking worms left one fisherman in awe, although it is actually a common phenomena.
Heavy rainfall is known to bring about floods, leaks and even mould in the home. But, did you know it can also cause thousands of worms that look like giant centipedes to infest local creeks?
An Aussie dad and his daughter were out mud-crabbing at Waverley Creek in northern Queensland when they found "thousands" of worms taking over the creek. "Never in all my years on the water seen this phenomenon," he said in a video shared online.
Aussies online claim they have seen the worms too
After sharing the video with a local fishing group on Facebook, hundreds of shocked Aussies responded, with some in other parts of Queensland even revealing they'd seen the strange worms near them after the rain.
"Yeh we have them in Yeppoon too now, never seen one in my life, I've been there 40 years," one person said. "I’ve seen them at Midge Point too. They fall apart easily," another commented.
Others shared these types of worms were "good bait" to use for fishing, while the rest commented on how "alien" the invertebrates looked. "That’s totally disgusting looking. Omg all the legs crawling," a horrified person said.
The video has since been viewed over 1.8 million times after being shared across other social media platforms, like TikTok.
Strangers band together for 'wonderful' rescue in Woolworths car park
Aussies baffled by national park's 'unusual' seating decision
Identified as a type of seaworm
Some people in the comments who claim to be marine biologists themselves identified the worms as polychaetes, which Australian Museum senior fellow and expert Doctor Pat Hutchings confirmed with the ABC.
"[The swarm] is actually quite a common phenomena, but probably something most people don't ever see," she told the broadcaster.
The worms belong to the Nereididae family, and are commonly known as ragworms, though Hutchings could not identify the exact species from watching the video and said it could even be a species not yet known by science. "A large proportion of our invertebrate fauna is still undescribed," she said.
The worms live in a shallow burrow in the muddy water bed but leave their home to mate. "Near mating time in most species [of ragworm], the rear part of the body becomes swollen with sperm or eggs. The worm leaves its shallow burrow on the sea bottom and, usually at night, releases sex cells near the water surface," Brittanica states online.
The moon phases and temperature can trigger this mating event, though marine biology associate professor Ian Tibbetts told the ABC the recent rainfall in north Queensland may have had an impact on creatures on this occasion.
Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? Get our new newsletter showcasing the week’s best stories.
