Credits: Social Media
‘Nightmare’ video captures how ‘alien-like’ ribbon worm spits out insides as it moves
A video of a freakish worm is circulating online and being described as stuff of nightmares as the worm spits out its own insides to fetch prey.�
Much to the horror of some, the worm depicted in the video is in fact real, despite looking more like an alien. The ribbon worm can be seen spitting a tree-like structure out of its mouth onto the hand of a man.
The video of the ribbon worm was shared on Reddit this week, where it gained over 9,000 votes.
Outlandish creature goes viral
A Reddit user shared the intriguing video to Reddit writing: The ribbon worm. One of the most outlandish creatures weve ever discovered, spits a living, tree-like proboscosis to hunt its prey.
The description alone might be enough to produce goosebumps, but the video is unbelievable too. In the clip, the worm can be seen spitting out a white, vein-like object onto the hand, not too dissimilar to Spider-Man. It then appears to take back in some of the structure, but cuts off some of it, leaving it in the hand.
Snopes tracked the video across social media and found its circulated online for the last two years. The clip appears to have been originally posted to TikTok by user @_pharoque but the account is no longer in use.�
The ribbon worm is very real
Despite the video sparking doubts among Reddit users, it is in fact real ad not of any extra-terrestrial. Instead, it features a ribbon worm.
According to the Florida Museum, ribbon worms are predators of annelid worms, clams, crabs, and even fish. They use a proboscis to feed on prey, but its usually tucked inside of their bodies when not being used.
When some species of ribbon worms encounter prey, they push the proboscis out and stab the prey with a barb to inject toxins and digestive juices. Once the animal is immobilized, the ribbon worm swallows its prey whole, and they can eat animals almost as big as they are by stretching their bodies to fit the animal inside, reports the Florida Museum.
Other ribbon worms have a branched, spaghetti-like proboscis instead of a barb, and secrete toxins onto captured prey. Sometimes, ribbon worms digest their prey outside their bodies and slurp up the soft tissue through their proboscis. �
Reddit users have been scarred by the ribbon worm
After being shared on the platform, Reddit users expressed their own fear of the freaky creature.
Stuff of nightmares, commented one user.
Why do people want extra-terrestrial aliens when we have enough of them right here, joked another, while other comments described it as “alien-like.”
This is truly the most heinous thing Ive ever seen in my life, reads a comment.
