Creepy Worm Found In Minnesota Will Give You Nightmares

Get our free mobile app

Minnesota is known as the Land of 10,000 Lakes, but what lives in those lakes can sometimes be terrifying, as this viral video shows.

Getting out and heading up north to enjoy some time on the lake or at the cabin is one of the best parts about living here in Minnesota, right? Taking a leisurely ride on a pontoon boat, getting out on a paddle board, or just taking a dip in the lake are all great ways to spend a summer day on the water.

But when you do head outside, you DO have to be cognizant of the fact that we share the great outdoors here in the Bold North with tons of critters-- some of which can be downright creepy, like these nightmare-inducing worms that were recently spotted here in the Gopher State.

READ MORE: 60 People Sickened After Swimming in MN Lake

According to a video posted on the Mille Lacs Lake Facebook page, these worms (which look more like black string or fishing line) were spotted on the shoreline of the north side of the lake, writhing and wriggling away. And that video has since generated over 200 comments, including many suggestions about what one ought to do when encountering such a creature.

So just what are they? According to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR), those worms are actually known as the Horsehair Worm (or nematomorpha, if you're being all scientific about it.)

Horsehair worms are about 1/10 of an inch in diameter and typically 6 to 10 inches long but can reach lengths of up to two feet long. They're found in aquatic habitats ranging from lakes and rivers to small puddles and water containers. The common name of the horsehair worm comes from its resemblance to the hair of a horsetail.

I've been heading up north both here in Minnesota and Wisconsin for MANY years, and I can say I've never seen or even heard of the Horsehair Worm, have you? You can check out the Mille Lacs Lake video HERE, as well as get a more in-depth look at the nematormorpha-- and the science behind them-- below.

And while it might not do much for horsehair worms, keep scrolling to check out 11 plants that should be in your garden here in Minnesota to help keep mosquitoes away!

Listen to Curt St. John in the Morning
Weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m. on Quick Country 96.5