June 16, 2025 • 6 mins
“What do you do when a toxic, foot-long worm shows up in your yard—and cutting it in half only makes it stronger?”In this jaw-dropping segment of The Ben and Skin Show, Ben Rogers, Jeff “Skin” Wade, Kevin “KT” Turner, and Krystina Ray—dives into the bizarre and slightly terrifying world of invasive species with a story that sounds like it came straight out of a sci-fi movie: the arrival of the hammerhead worm.These creepy crawlers are toxic, regenerate when cut, and reproduce asexually—and yes, they’re now slithering around North Texas. The team breaks down the science, the absurdity, and the best (and weirdest) ways to kill them, including “just throw them in the freezer with your pizza rolls.”
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Well, the wild life. A wild life obviously had some
rainfall last week, heavy rainfall in places, and it's brought
a species to our doorstep here in North texasol were wolves,
(00:25):
not were wolves.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
No crocodiles, not crocs.
Speaker 3 (00:29):
Oh good guess.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
Although I did see a sign in fort Worth, I
don't really get derailed too far. I saw a sign
in Fort Worth and it said this is by one
of the lakes. Alligators have been seen around lake Worth.
State law prohibits feeding, killing, molesting, or attempting to move
an alligator. What are y'all doing out there in Lake Worth?
Speaker 3 (00:52):
The gators alone?
Speaker 2 (00:53):
I'm trying to give the galligator a little jack.
Speaker 4 (00:56):
Isn't Lake Worth where the we had the guy that
there was big foots and stuff out there?
Speaker 3 (01:02):
Remember that?
Speaker 2 (01:02):
Yeah, imagine the story from the past.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
Yeah, oh yes, yeah, that was lake Worth?
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Right, I think it was Lakeworth?
Speaker 5 (01:09):
Now.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
I also the questionable signs and photographs Before we get
back to the wild left news. Do you remember the
other day when I brought up the Rangers and the
gay Pride the headline on Star Telegram, But they put
a picture of Alejandro Soon on top of it, rather
than the owners of the Rangers logo. I called out
the Fourth Star Telegram. I can't let the Dallas Morning
News slide on this. I might have to show y'all
(01:30):
with my computer here. Okay, it's Dallas Morning News newsletter.
Here's the headline. Hot weekend expected, But to what degree
chances of rain come and go? In the Father's Day
weekend forecast. Here's the image that they went with.
Speaker 3 (01:48):
Is that a stranded boat?
Speaker 6 (01:49):
It's a kid at a baseball game and somebody's he's
tilted his head up and somebody's squirting a water bottle
in his mouth.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
I think where.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
It's a kid with his eyes closed, leaning up and
someone's squirting the water bottle in his mouth.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
And that's how we would like to say that we
have a chance of rain this weekend.
Speaker 3 (02:10):
That was weird. I can see using that.
Speaker 6 (02:13):
Hey man, it's gonna be so hot, it's gonna be miserable.
You're gonna hate it at your baseball tournament. Not it's rainy.
You know what they should have done. They should have
had a picture of Carl Havoc.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
Yeah, it should have.
Speaker 1 (02:26):
Anything's better than a kid with his eyes closed squirting
a water bottle in his mouth.
Speaker 2 (02:30):
It's very strange.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
And I just wanted to call it the Dallas Morning
News because I called out the Telegram too, both great,
great staples of our community.
Speaker 2 (02:38):
The hammerhead worm, though, is what we're worried about here.
Speaker 5 (02:41):
Now.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
You can know it's a hammerhead worm because it had
shaped like a hammer you guys, see I sent you.
Speaker 3 (02:48):
A picture of it. Yeah, it looks like a hammer
head shark. But it's a worm.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
You did send the picture.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
I did.
Speaker 3 (02:52):
That's good. Thanks.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
Here's the problem. They can grow up to be a
foot long.
Speaker 1 (02:57):
But if you try to kill it, like cutting it
in half, they grow, they turn into two.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
They turn into two, so it grows another hammerhead.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
Yes, but they're also toxic.
Speaker 3 (03:06):
It's got regenerative head.
Speaker 6 (03:10):
That's almost hard, impossible thing to find when you're married,
because they're not. They don't marry for life, they don't
have one soulmate. They're just out there worming it eaten earthworms.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (03:23):
According to the Texas Invasive Species Institute, hammer head worms
are also toxic and can cause skin irritation.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
No big deal. I face skin.
Speaker 3 (03:30):
Irritation every day. Is so good?
Speaker 2 (03:36):
All right?
Speaker 1 (03:36):
Or what?
Speaker 4 (03:37):
Man? I had a whole thought this weekend about What
is the definition of a dad joke?
Speaker 3 (03:41):
Is it just a pun? I don't know, a bad Yeah,
just a bad pun.
Speaker 6 (03:47):
Basically, so my son sent me one, he goes, When
does a joke become a dad joke when it's a parent?
Speaker 3 (03:56):
That what he sent me for Father's Day? Pretty good?
Speaker 1 (04:00):
What do you call a lazy kangaroo? What a pouch potato?
Because they're the animal that has a pouch on the
have a pouch? Said, I love marsupial humor. Uh.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
So, the hammerhead worms are gonna be around.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
They're a natural predator of earthworms, and earthworms aren't necessary
for crop growth and development. This this, this is a
dangerous thing. And they can reproduce asexually. Yeah what Yeah,
no one else does that.
Speaker 6 (04:25):
That means like, if you're just taking care of yourself,
you could get yourself pregnant.
Speaker 3 (04:29):
Yeah, basically it's Morrissey. Hey explain.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
Uh.
Speaker 4 (04:33):
They give advice in here that I don't know that
it's good advice about the best way to kill the hammerhead.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
According to Tizzy the Texas Invasive Species Institute, the new
head can begin developing within ten days if you try
to cut its head off. An Experts say that you
should kill it by using a spray of citrus oil
and white vinegar, which they all have in our cabinets
ready to go.
Speaker 4 (04:58):
Hey, if you think you're gonna see this new species,
can cock this at home and have it sitting around okay,
or even better, also soak them.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
In salt and vinegar, or by freezing them in a
sealed ziplock bag.
Speaker 3 (05:11):
Hours.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
Just throw them in there with your pizza.
Speaker 4 (05:14):
About that, put some gloves on, pick up the hammer head,
put it in a ziplock bag, and stick it in
the freezer for a couple of days.
Speaker 3 (05:22):
That's how you kill it.
Speaker 4 (05:23):
If you don't have the magical elicks are already made
up and sitting on your counter.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
So I don't even know what the play is. What's
the practical play?
Speaker 6 (05:30):
Now?
Speaker 2 (05:31):
I have a step on it. I had a friend
post on Facebook that he just doused it in salt
and that did the trick. So I don't know.
Speaker 3 (05:38):
I think that's a snail.
Speaker 5 (05:39):
Wait he found out yeah, yes, yeah, but he posted
as like a week ago. I think, wow, oh my god,
it is crazy how their head is. It's good to
know it's just like a snake, to know if it's venomous.
They have the triangle head.
Speaker 3 (05:51):
Yeah, this is what But dude, like these things can
be like a foot long. Yeah, but dude, we caught
a major break that the scariest things are tiny. Yeah.
Speaker 6 (06:01):
Can you imagine if that thing was, like, I don't
know the size of a dinosaur or something, that would suck.
Speaker 3 (06:06):
I mean, isn't that what Dune is all about? Yeah? Exactly,
It's exactly what it's about.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
That's why we have the military.
Speaker 6 (06:11):
All right, there you have it. There's the wildlife news.
We got music news coming up. But first the Today
game at just over three minutes. Don't go nowhere. That's next.
Well, the wild life. A wild life obviously had some
rainfall last week, heavy rainfall in places, and it's brought
a species to our doorstep here in North texasol were wolves,
(00:25):
not were wolves.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
No crocodiles, not crocs.
Speaker 3 (00:29):
Oh good guess.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
Although I did see a sign in fort Worth, I
don't really get derailed too far. I saw a sign
in Fort Worth and it said this is by one
of the lakes. Alligators have been seen around lake Worth.
State law prohibits feeding, killing, molesting, or attempting to move
an alligator. What are y'all doing out there in Lake Worth?
Speaker 3 (00:52):
The gators alone?
Speaker 2 (00:53):
I'm trying to give the galligator a little jack.
Speaker 4 (00:56):
Isn't Lake Worth where the we had the guy that
there was big foots and stuff out there?
Speaker 3 (01:02):
Remember that?
Speaker 2 (01:02):
Yeah, imagine the story from the past.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
Yeah, oh yes, yeah, that was lake Worth?
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Right, I think it was Lakeworth?
Speaker 5 (01:09):
Now.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
I also the questionable signs and photographs Before we get
back to the wild left news. Do you remember the
other day when I brought up the Rangers and the
gay Pride the headline on Star Telegram, But they put
a picture of Alejandro Soon on top of it, rather
than the owners of the Rangers logo. I called out
the Fourth Star Telegram. I can't let the Dallas Morning
News slide on this. I might have to show y'all
(01:30):
with my computer here. Okay, it's Dallas Morning News newsletter.
Here's the headline. Hot weekend expected, But to what degree
chances of rain come and go? In the Father's Day
weekend forecast. Here's the image that they went with.
Speaker 3 (01:48):
Is that a stranded boat?
Speaker 6 (01:49):
It's a kid at a baseball game and somebody's he's
tilted his head up and somebody's squirting a water bottle
in his mouth.
Speaker 2 (01:57):
I think where.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
It's a kid with his eyes closed, leaning up and
someone's squirting the water bottle in his mouth.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
And that's how we would like to say that we
have a chance of rain this weekend.
Speaker 3 (02:10):
That was weird. I can see using that.
Speaker 6 (02:13):
Hey man, it's gonna be so hot, it's gonna be miserable.
You're gonna hate it at your baseball tournament. Not it's rainy.
You know what they should have done. They should have
had a picture of Carl Havoc.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
Yeah, it should have.
Speaker 1 (02:26):
Anything's better than a kid with his eyes closed squirting
a water bottle in his mouth.
Speaker 2 (02:30):
It's very strange.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
And I just wanted to call it the Dallas Morning
News because I called out the Telegram too, both great,
great staples of our community.
Speaker 2 (02:38):
The hammerhead worm, though, is what we're worried about here.
Speaker 5 (02:41):
Now.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
You can know it's a hammerhead worm because it had
shaped like a hammer you guys, see I sent you.
Speaker 3 (02:48):
A picture of it. Yeah, it looks like a hammer
head shark. But it's a worm.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
You did send the picture.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
I did.
Speaker 3 (02:52):
That's good. Thanks.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
Here's the problem. They can grow up to be a
foot long.
Speaker 1 (02:57):
But if you try to kill it, like cutting it
in half, they grow, they turn into two.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
They turn into two, so it grows another hammerhead.
Speaker 2 (03:04):
Yes, but they're also toxic.
Speaker 3 (03:06):
It's got regenerative head.
Speaker 6 (03:10):
That's almost hard, impossible thing to find when you're married,
because they're not. They don't marry for life, they don't
have one soulmate. They're just out there worming it eaten earthworms.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (03:23):
According to the Texas Invasive Species Institute, hammer head worms
are also toxic and can cause skin irritation.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
No big deal. I face skin.
Speaker 3 (03:30):
Irritation every day. Is so good?
Speaker 2 (03:36):
All right?
Speaker 1 (03:36):
Or what?
Speaker 4 (03:37):
Man? I had a whole thought this weekend about What
is the definition of a dad joke?
Speaker 3 (03:41):
Is it just a pun? I don't know, a bad Yeah,
just a bad pun.
Speaker 6 (03:47):
Basically, so my son sent me one, he goes, When
does a joke become a dad joke when it's a parent?
Speaker 3 (03:56):
That what he sent me for Father's Day? Pretty good?
Speaker 1 (04:00):
What do you call a lazy kangaroo? What a pouch potato?
Because they're the animal that has a pouch on the
have a pouch? Said, I love marsupial humor. Uh.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
So, the hammerhead worms are gonna be around.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
They're a natural predator of earthworms, and earthworms aren't necessary
for crop growth and development. This this, this is a
dangerous thing. And they can reproduce asexually. Yeah what Yeah,
no one else does that.
Speaker 6 (04:25):
That means like, if you're just taking care of yourself,
you could get yourself pregnant.
Speaker 3 (04:29):
Yeah, basically it's Morrissey. Hey explain.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
Uh.
Speaker 4 (04:33):
They give advice in here that I don't know that
it's good advice about the best way to kill the hammerhead.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
According to Tizzy the Texas Invasive Species Institute, the new
head can begin developing within ten days if you try
to cut its head off. An Experts say that you
should kill it by using a spray of citrus oil
and white vinegar, which they all have in our cabinets
ready to go.
Speaker 4 (04:58):
Hey, if you think you're gonna see this new species,
can cock this at home and have it sitting around okay,
or even better, also soak them.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
In salt and vinegar, or by freezing them in a
sealed ziplock bag.
Speaker 3 (05:11):
Hours.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
Just throw them in there with your pizza.
Speaker 4 (05:14):
About that, put some gloves on, pick up the hammer head,
put it in a ziplock bag, and stick it in
the freezer for a couple of days.
Speaker 3 (05:22):
That's how you kill it.
Speaker 4 (05:23):
If you don't have the magical elicks are already made
up and sitting on your counter.
Speaker 2 (05:28):
So I don't even know what the play is. What's
the practical play?
Speaker 6 (05:30):
Now?
Speaker 2 (05:31):
I have a step on it. I had a friend
post on Facebook that he just doused it in salt
and that did the trick. So I don't know.
Speaker 3 (05:38):
I think that's a snail.
Speaker 5 (05:39):
Wait he found out yeah, yes, yeah, but he posted
as like a week ago. I think, wow, oh my god,
it is crazy how their head is. It's good to
know it's just like a snake, to know if it's venomous.
They have the triangle head.
Speaker 3 (05:51):
Yeah, this is what But dude, like these things can
be like a foot long. Yeah, but dude, we caught
a major break that the scariest things are tiny. Yeah.
Speaker 6 (06:01):
Can you imagine if that thing was, like, I don't
know the size of a dinosaur or something, that would suck.
Speaker 3 (06:06):
I mean, isn't that what Dune is all about? Yeah? Exactly,
It's exactly what it's about.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
That's why we have the military.
Speaker 6 (06:11):
All right, there you have it. There's the wildlife news.
We got music news coming up. But first the Today
game at just over three minutes. Don't go nowhere. That's next.
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