# Planarian (*Dugesia tigrina*)

Planarians are flatworms that live in water. They have a special power to regrow body parts if they get hurt. These creatures move gracefully through the water, exploring their underwater world.

- **Category:** [Invertebrate](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/invertebrate)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low
- **Habitat:** Freshwater

![Planarian](https://res.cloudinary.com/drieglelr/image/upload/v1771424455/objects/6318.jpg)

## Appearance

The Planarian has a flat, soft body, often brown, black, or gray, with a distinctive spade-shaped head. It has two prominent eyespots on its head, giving it a cross-eyed appearance. Its smooth, creeping motion makes it look like it's gliding.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Animalia
- **Phylum:** Platyhelminthes
- **Class:** Rhabditophora
- **Order:** Tricladida
- **Family:** Planariidae
- **Genus:** Planaria

## Interesting facts

- Planarians are hermaphrodites, meaning each worm has both male and female reproductive organs.
- Some planarians can learn simple mazes, and even remember them after regrowing a new head!
- They have an amazing feeding tube called a pharynx that extends from their belly like a proboscis!
- When startled, planarians sometimes detach from surfaces and drift away to escape danger.

## Special abilities

- **Super Regenerator:** Planarian can regrow lost body parts, even a whole new body from a tiny piece, because of special stem cells called neoblasts.
- **Chemical Radar:** Planarian can sense food from a distance using sensitive chemical receptors, helping them find their next meal in the water.
- **Light Spotter:** Planarian has two eyespots that detect light and dark, allowing them to navigate away from bright light or hide.
- **Gliding Goo:** Planarian can glide smoothly over surfaces using tiny hair-like cilia and a layer of mucus, making them seem to float.

## Measurements & details

- **Length:** 1-25
- **Lifespan:** 1-2
- **Width Mm:** 1-5

## Diet & Feeding

Planarians are tiny scavengers and predators that feast on dead things and even smaller creatures.

- **Primary Foods:** Dead insects, Decaying plant matter, Tiny worms, Snails
- **Foraging Method:** Scavenging

## Ecological connections

- **Hunts:** Sludge worm (*Tubifex tubifex*) — Planarians hunt these small aquatic worms.
- **Hunts:** Great pond snail (*Lymnaea stagnalis*) — Planarians ambush and consume small pond snails.
- **Eaten by:** Mosquitofish (*Gambusia affinis*) — Small fish sometimes prey on planarians.
- **Eaten by:** [Eastern newt](https://www.snappit.app/explore/eastern-newt) (*Notophthalmus viridescens*) — Newts are known predators of planarians.

## Traits

- [Spore Producing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/spore-producing): Spore-producing organisms reproduce by releasing small, often single-celled, reproductive units called spores.
- [Ancient Lineage](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/ancient-lineage): This trait signifies organisms belonging to a very old evolutionary group with ancestors dating back millions of years.
- [Carnivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/carnivorous): This trait identifies organisms whose diet consists entirely or primarily of animal tissue.
- [Freshwater](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/freshwater): Freshwater habitats include non-saline aquatic environments such as rivers, lakes, ponds, and wetlands, vital for numerous species.
- [Regenerative](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/regenerative): Regenerative organisms possess the ability to regrow lost or damaged body parts, tissues, or organs.
- [Nocturnal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/nocturnal): Nocturnal animals are primarily active during the nighttime hours, typically resting or sleeping during the day.
- [Venomous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/venomous): Venomous organisms produce toxins that are injected into another animal, typically through a bite or sting.

## Collections

- [Invertebrates](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/invertebrates)

## Safety

**Danger:** 1/5 · Very low

If you find planarians in the water, observe them from a safe distance and avoid touching them to keep them safe.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Planarian?

Compare body symmetry, shells, segments, legs, tentacles and how the animal moves. Invertebrates span many unrelated groups, so start with body structure. Invertebrate Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How long is Planarian?

1-25

### How long does Planarian live?

1-2

### What does Planarian eat?

Planarians are tiny scavengers and predators that feast on dead things and even smaller creatures.

### Where is Planarian usually found?

Freshwater

### How does Planarian hunt?

Scavenging

### How big is Planarian?

1-5

## More Invertebrate

- [Coral](https://www.snappit.app/explore/coral)
- [Crab Spider](https://www.snappit.app/explore/crab-spider) (*Mecaphesa asperata*)
- [Garden Spider](https://www.snappit.app/explore/garden-spider) (*Araneus diadematus*)
- [Brown Recluse Spider](https://www.snappit.app/explore/brown-recluse-spider) (*Loxosceles reclusa*)

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Source: [Planarian: Characteristics, Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/planarian)