Probably everyone can remember the horror stories from his childhood, the protagonist of which was a horse hair.The parasites that penetrate the skin while bathing in a river or lake, fall of blood in any body and can easily eat a man inside.
Legends of horsehair
As they say, you need to know the enemy's face.And what a monster it?In the XVII century, people believed that it revived in the water of hair from a horse's mane.Our grandmother described him as a cross between a leech and a worm.Someone even compares it with a little eyeless snake that their sharp, razor teeth cutting into the flesh.Does not that such descriptions may bring quiet horror and completely discourage climb into the water where they live Scarecrow, even the most risky brave?After die from some worm is unlikely to add glory and honor.
real facts about hair-
And it looks like horse hair, really?It is not as intimidating as described above, although the unpleasant sight.By the way, this monster is, and the scientific name.Horse hair - not that other, as hair-(Gordius aquaticus L.), a very ancient invertebrates other parasitic organisms.And the worm for his life is replaced by the two hosts.Outwardly, the animal really looks like a thickened horsehair.1 mm in diameter, it can reach a length of 1.5 m. However, often there are individuals of 30-40 cm long.Males have brown or almost black color, females are yellow or yellowish-brown.
small ponds and small rivers - the favorite habitat hair-worm.They squirm in shallow water among rocks and plants, or are woven into complex assemblies.It is doing this, you are likely to see a horse hair.Parasites look particularly unattractive when meanders spiral out of the bloated carcass of an insect 6-8 individuals.
female is packed full of tiny eggs, which she lays in the form of long cords to water the plants.Then, almost a million toothy larvae penetrate into insects, where they can live for up to a year.Hatched and the dried larvae of stoneflies and mayflies are victims of the attack of ground beetles and other bugs.That is something in them and finds his house horsehair.The parasites begin to develop and grow, feeding on the juices of the host.Although they have a mouth, it is not associated with the intestinal tract.Almost paralyzed beetle falls into water, and there is already adult worms break through its cover and go outside with only one purpose - to breed.And the life cycle begins again.
in Montpellier (France) to study the life of hair-mantis ended very interesting conclusions.Scientist David Biron found that produces the worm of the protein molecule, and they are similar to those that make up the insect brain.These psevdobelki embedded in the protein structure of the nervous system, and the changes behavioral responses mantis.After such a "brainwashing" unfortunate insect catches to certain death in the nearest pond.Hair-worm, of course, but it should be.Dying victim herself brings it in the usual environment.
danger to human
That's such an interesting life has horse hair.How dangerous is this monstrous beast to man?If you say short - nothing.Hair-worm not introduced into the human body, biting through the skin and gnawing moves.This involved gadfly larvae and other hideous creatures.Even if you are on a strange coincidence, will not notice the worms and swallow with water horse hair, the parasites can not survive in the digestive tract.So the old wives' tale about the terrible monster that lives in the lake and eat human inside - just fiction.
