Pacific Science Center
Bringing science to life.
PacSci-Doku: “Mondo Predator”
By Dennis Schatz – Senior Advisor
Do you Sudoku? It’s one of the hottest number games around! Well, here’s a twist we think you’ll love. We call it PacSci-Doku. Can you guess why? Here’s how it works. Instead of filling in the blanks with numbers, we use letters. Hidden in one of the columns or rows is the answer to a science question. You’ll find information about the answer on the answer tab below.
The question in this edition is:
What is gobbling up the common earthworm?
To find the answer, complete this PacSci-Doku using the following nine letters:
O A I M T G R N W
The Puzzle
Puzzle Difficulty: Medium
The Answer
The question in this edition is:
What is gobbling up the common earthworm?
The answer: Giant Worm
Native to Asia, the “giant” foot-long “Hammerhead” flatworm does not belong in Europe. It eats its prey by excreting tetrodotoxin, which paralyzes its prey. Hammerhead flatworms are now found in Europe, but the assumption is they will spread elsewhere as global trade brings many types of accidental visitors from elsewhere in the world. It is still not clear what this Asian invader will do to the local ecosystem, which depends on the earthworms for help in developing a healthy soil ecosystem. Check out what the Hammerhead flatworm looks like and read more about this invasive species.