3 
ZAHHS 
VcAtrmX No***. 2 Oee en*»r tOOO 
Turbellaria 
flat worms of land, sea 
and .area??/ 
Free-living flar worms j 
shaped like leaves: longer than 
wide and very thin They 
usually feed on smaller 
invertebrates or dead animals. 
On their underside they have 
masses ol cilia, or tiny hair- 
I ike structures. Many 
Hat worms prodtue shine Item 
their bodies, then glide on the 
slime by bearing the tiny cilia. 
Planaria 
Planana are easy to find in streams 
with clear, clean water. Just life up 
Stones from the stream and look on 
the underside You will see small, 
flat planaria wriggle across the 
stone. They arc dark brown in 
colour, and one or two centimetres 
in length. Their bodies seem to 
stretch or contract as they move. 
Planaria live in dark places, under 
sticks, stones or among water plants 
in streams, marshes and lakes. They 
crawl or swim by contracting rheir 
muscles. Planaria lay a lew eggs in 
sac-like capsules. The eggs hutch 
into small planaria like the adults. 
Chemoreccptors — areas near the 
head that are sensitive to 
concentrations of chemicals — help 
planaria to find food 
pla, iariun'% mouth is on the 
'dc of its body, near the 
In the mouth is a long 
ig tube, used to break off and 
I low small pieces of prey. 
Scientists have learned much about 
how animal tissues grow and heal 
and change by studying the little 
planaria II a planarian is cut into 
two pieces, the pieces will eac h grow 
into a now planarian ll a piece ol 
one planarian is fined onto another, 
rhr planarian may grow two heads 
or other body putts. 
Land flatworms 
You can find land flat worms in 
damp places or in the rainy season 
In the Nairobi urea, lift up a stone 
during rhe rains; a flat worm may be 
under the stone. These flatworms 
are 2 nr 3 cm long, dark grey above, 
pale grey below, and quite narrow 
Marine flutsvorms or Polyclails 
Pulycluds arc beautiful as they glide 
over tile coral reef or ripple through 
i hr water. Mosr of them are a few 
centimetres long and brilliantly 
coloured and patterned They arc 
rhin and delicate and will break 
apart if you handle them roughly 
Polyclads lay eggs that hatch into 
tiny larvae 'I'hc larvae swim as part 
of the plankton for a while before 
developing into adult flatworms. 
They Iced on small sea animals. 
