![]() ![]() However, it could probably find itself at home just about anywhere else in the Americas. It also isn't likely to end up in the deserts or in rockier mountain areas, since it prefers areas with soil and plants. That means it isn't likely to spread into the extreme northern U.S. In New Guinea, the worm is found in high-elevation areas where temperatures occasionally dip below freezing, but not in colder areas. It could have impacts in the other direction of the food chain as well: The plants that snails eat, like certain weeds, might spread and become overgrown. "In that, it is a significant potential threat to all snail species." This could ripple up the food chain to affect creatures that eat snails, like birds. "It will not make differences between abundant common species and rare endemic snails," Justine says. It gobbles up soil-dwelling invertebrates like snails, which could have a big impact on the environment. The flatworm ( Platydemus manokwari) has few natural predators outside of New Guinea, and it likely will have no predators in the United States, Justine says. ![]() Researchers from around the world reported findings of flatworms in the new areas, after which they sent photographs and DNA samples to Justine in Paris for his confirmation. The New Guinea flatworm in New Caledonia. ![]()
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