The Planarian Home Page

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This is a Planarian:

Planaria FAQ's

Planaria belong to the phylum, Platyhelminthes, (flatworms).
They are a free-living, flat bodied, freshwater creatures that exhibit the remarkable ability
to regenerate their lost body parts.
It lives in lakes, streams, ponds, and other freshwater bodies
The planarian is non-parasitic, and eats decaying meat.
The body includes:
a simple nervous system that includes a 'brain'
muscle bundles
an internal reproductive system
a blind gut branching through the body
an excretory system that includes specialized cells called 'flame cells'
They can be conditioned to respond to stimuli, display the ability to master a two-choice maze,
and can transfer the memory of training from one individual to another.

To keep a planaria culture alive follow these tips:
Use only 'spring water' or 'pond water', not distilled water ( it doesn't contain any of the minerals and nutrients they need to survive) or tap water (they don't like (will die) chlorine or flouride etc. that's in tap water)

Feed them little bits of hard cooked 'egg yolk' every few days - to a week at most. Some varieties will eat liver or tubifex worms, but that's very smelly and messy.

Don't feed them at all during their mating season during February-March.

After you feed them (let them eat for about 30 minutes - 1 hour at most) make sure you change their water (rinse them off carefully) and add fresh water. This prevents any uneaten food from decaying and dirtying the culture. They also create a 'slime' that needs to be removed.

Keep them at a reasonable room temperature (68-72 degrees). Do not refidgerate them.

Do not expose them to harsh light. In fact, keep them in the dark for most of the time; maybe in the container they came in with a lid (loosley closed) and store it in a closed cupboard.

They are sensitive to extremes of light, temperature, and ph. Being such sensitive creatures, when you begin your experiments, any changes you may make in their environment should be the smallest that you can measure.

If you want to learn more about Planaria:

Your local library should have special reference science books in the "Reference Section", ask your librarian where they are kept.

Carolina Biological Supply Company is a great source of information, materials, and cultures. They have all the stuff and ideas you may need for experiments. They also offer a super collection of all kinds of science books too.

Hope you have found this information useful. Thanks for coming by!

ALL the information we have about planaria is listed here . . .but, if you have any specific questions:
Email Jon here.

You can see a homepage about my family at genealogy.

Hope you have found this information useful. Thanks for coming by!