Newspaper Page Text
Page 2B
iReporter
June 27, 2018
MONROE OUTDOORS by Terry W. Johnson
Meet planarian, one of nature’s less charming creatures
W hat do you
think is the
weirdest
animal that
lives in your yard? Perhaps
it is a spider, millipede,
scorpion, or beetle. Then
again, it may be
a land planar
ian. Among the
other names
given this bizarre
critter are soil
planarian and
arrowhead flat-
worm.
Once you spot
a land planar
ian, you can
readily see why
these critters are often
mistaken for snakes. They
are shaped like a snake,
have triangular heads,
display broad dark lines
that run down the length
of their bodies and can
grow upwards of 10 inches
long. However, if you
examine them closely you
will see they are covered
with mucous, don’t have
any eyes and are not cov
ered in scales.
The land planarian’s
mouth is located about
halfway down the under
side of its body. Instead of
eyes, this animal has eye-
spots that can only detect
light.
The body is covered with
a heavy layer of mucous.
This mucous enables the
flatworm to keep its body
moist. A flatworm will
die if it loses water that
amounts to more than
45 percent of its body
weight. As such, land
planarians live in cool,
moist spots such as under
logs, rocks, and forest lit
ter. Around our homes,
TERRY W. JOHNSON
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we most often find
them under potted
plants or beneath
objects stored on the
ground like tarps and
lumber. Other than
that, we occasionally
see them
on the
surface of
the ground
when
heavy rain
saturates
the soil.
The land
planar
ian eats a
variety of
inverte
brates such as insect
larvae, slugs, and
earthworms. While
gardeners appreciate
the fact they destroy
plant pests, they
don’t like them eating
earthworms as they help
aerate the soil. In addi
tion, anglers trying to keep
a worm bed or folks that
raise earthworms commer
cially hate them because
they have been known to
wipe out earthworm popu
lations.
Oh, by the way, if they
cannot find enough prey,
they will cannibalize one
another.
This flatworm feeds
by restraining its prey
with a coat of slimy
mucous. Once the prey
is subdued, the planarian
extends its pharynx out of
its mouth and into its vic
tim and sucks out its body
fluids.
This odd critter employs
two forms of reproduc
tion. It can lay eggs in a
small cocoon (the eggs
hatch in 21 days); however,
Planarians are harmless, unless you are an earthworm, slug or insect larvae. (Photo/Terry Johnson)
it primarily multiplies by
the process of fragmenta
tion. The process takes
place once or twice a
month.
Fragmentation occurs
when a planarian attaches
the tip of its tail to an
object and simply pulls
away. Remarkably, the
detached piece of tail is
capable of moving about
and will actually grow a
new head within only 10
days!
The planarian’s amaz
ing ability to regenerate
has long been of inter
est to biology students
and medical researchers
alike. Believe it or not,
a piece of a planarian,
amounting to as little as
l/279th of its body, is
capable of regenerating a
totally new planarian in a
matter of weeks. You can
CAMP
Continued from Front
> Arts/Crafts Camp:
Dates — July 23-26,
2 p.m.—3:30 p.m. (Ages
6-12)
Location — Monroe
County Rec Department
Youth Center
Instructors — Linda Sos-
ebee and Gloria Joy
** Limit to 40 partici
pants
> Football Camp:
Dates — Aug. 11,9 a.m.—
12 p.m. (Grades 2-6)
Location — Mary Per
sons Football Practice
Field
Instructor — Brian
Nelson (Mary Persons
athletic director and
football coach) and Mary
Persons Football Staff
** Includes drills, films,
tour of MP Bulldogs
facilities. (All campers
receive a t-shirt)
Summer camps at the
Recreation Department
unless otherwise noted
are sponsored by the City
of Forsyth.
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MAKING SENSE OF INVESTING
cut a planarian’s head in
half and the animal goes
about its business sporting
two complete heads.
Years ago planar
ians were carried to the
International Space Station
to determine what effects,
if any, the environment
has on such things as their
power of regeneration. In
one experiment, after an
astronaut sliced a planar
ian’s head in half, the ani
mal regenerated two heads
in only five weeks time.
Planarians are cur
rently being employed by
researchers involved in
biomedical research stud
ies that focus on every
thing from human aging,
memory, and diseases to
genetics.
You can add the ground
planarian to the list of
exotic plants and animals
that have been inadver
tently brought to the
United States. In this case,
it is believed this native of
Indo-China was shipped
around the world during
the 19th century hidden in
soil accompanying nursery
stock.
Since the beginning
of the 20th century,
the flatworm has
been living in green
houses across the
country. It has been
found in Georgia,
Florida, Alabama,
North and South
Carolina, Tennessee
and a number of
other states. It is
thought the worms
were introduced to
these locations in pot
ted plants sold in the
nursery trade.
While it is clear
we could easily live
without this critter,
like it or not, there is
little chance we will
ever rid ourselves of
the odd introduced
animal. In the mean
time, countless folks
will continue to be
shocked when they lift up a
pot and see what looks like
a bunch of baby poisonous
snakes poised to strike. Just
remember, if these weird
animals are slimy and lack
eyes, they will not bite.
Terry Johnson is retired
Program Manager of the
Georgia Nongame-Endan
gered Wildlife Program. He
has written the informative
column ‘Monroe Outdoors’
for the Reporter for many
years. Email him at tjwood-
duck@bellsouth. net.
Do You Remember When...
1988
Forsyth businessman Jack
Treadwell squares off to prevent
Georgia DOT construction
crews from taking portions of
his Hampton Inn’s parking lot
and grounds for a roadway.
Annie H. Evans of Forsyth
is named Teacher of the Year
at Jackson Primary School in
Butts County, an honor she also
received for 1983-84.
Mike Franklin of Mary
Persons is Monroe County’s
Teacher of the Year; other
teachers honored are J.J. Daniel
of Mary Persons, Carolann
Evans of the Middle School and
Suzanne Rozar of Hubbard
Elementary.
St. Luke A.M.E. Church will
honor Melton O’Neal I and
Linwood Gantt Sr. for lifelong
commitment to patriotic, civic,
religious and family life in Mon
roe County.
Doris Vaughn Grant and
Beatrice Freeman retire from
Monroe County Schools.
Barbara Albritton of Forsyth
is employee of the month at
Atlanta South Truck Stop.
Board of Education discusses
sites for a new Monroe County
Middle School and the need for
a perimeter road near Hubbard
Elementary to relieve traffic
congestion.
Commissioners deny a rezon
ing request that would have
enabled expansion of Davis
Mobile Home park on Highway
87 South.
The State Bar of Georgia
awards Supreme Court of Geor
gia Presiding Justice Harold G.
Clarke of Forsyth its top honor,
the Distinguished Service
Award.
Richard McLeod drills a 655
ft. well, one of the deepest in the
U.S. at his Jackson Road home.
Culloden cuts its summer
recreation program and other
activities due to a drop in rev
enue from LOST.
Forsyth residents may hear a
‘boom’ and see a fireball when
GPSTC tests its new burn pit.
1998
Ed Williams, a native of
Juliette, writes “Sex, Dead Dogs
and Me” about his experiences
growing up in Monroe County.
The Monroe County Arts
Alliance has raised $30,000 in
the last three months toward
purchase of the Hollis House on
W. Main Street. It will become
a cultural center with an art
gallery and teaching facility for
ballroom dancing, painting, art
and other classes.
Each month Monroe County
DFCS places an ad in the
Reporter to place children with
adoptive families and as of June
32 children have been placed
and some are being finalized.
Jessica Paul, Sarah Shaw,
Lindsey Balkcom, Lori Cromer
and Wesley Gordon of Ms.
Mooneyham’s class are on the
team that won the Middle Geor
gia GISA division of the Spring
1998 Stock Market Game with a
portfolio valued at $135,435.
Forsyth resident Trellis Hun-
nicutt Baker receives a doctor of
medicine degree from Mercer
University School of Medicine
She will enter an internal medi
cine residency at the Medical
Center of Central Georgia.
Tidewater of Forsyth, which
sells and repairs logging equip
ment, holds an open house at
its facility in the Industrial Park
with barbecue, lunch, fun and
games for children.
Natalie Grant, Jon McGough
and Curtis Reynolds maintain
all As for grades 6-8; their
names are added to the plaque
in the trophy case.
Commissioners name Mon
roe County Recreation Depart
ment’s ballfields after Robert
Williams, Wayne Pippin, Pop
Mays and Linda Arthur.
2008
Husband and wife, Chuck and
Melissa Randall, retire from
T.G. Scott Elementary after be
ing a teaching duo for 32 years.
A Mary Persons alumni soc
cer game raises over $6,000 for
the family of Dusty Ellington,
an MP student and former
soccer player undergoing treat
ment for brain cancer.
The annual Georgia High
School Association Rodeo
comes to town hosted by the
Monroe Saddle Club.
Monroe County’s Junior SAFE
shooting team wins first in
district, and Ethan Boyd shoots
a perfect 25 out of 25 to win first
in individual competition.
Pauline Karpinecz continues
her work in jail ministry at age
80, a call she first answered 25
years ago.
Walmart pays $2.3 million
for 28 acres to eight property
owners on Indian Springs Drive
in order to build its new Super
center.
Test scores are down for
Monroe County students on the
state CRCT.
The Reporter wins six state
wide awards in Georgia Press
Association’s annual contest.
Ted and Janie Wach give
information with their bounti
ful blueberries at their 2.5-acre
blueberry patch in Bolingbroke.
Jeff and Thelma Stephens
celebrate their 65th wedding
anniversary.
Commissioners approve lease
agreements for Ga. Dept, of
Natural Resources to build and
maintain boat ramps at Popes
Ferry and Juliette Landing.
Two Boy Scouts say they want
to build a 15’ x 25’ pavilion and
three picnic tables at Juliette
Landing.
Remember When
This look at what Monroe County residents were reading in the
Reporter 30, 20 and 10 years ago this week is brought to you by...
Monroe County
Memorial Chapel
We set the standards
that others follow'
Harley Ray "Spanky" Beck
86 West Main Street • Forsyth
478-994-4266