The Mongolian Death Worm

[Trajanus]

Thank you for the information re hibernation.

My pleasure.

I think that you know a lot more than me about snakes, but i question if the snake would be a docile as a baby, because I have an intuition that if you dug it up, it would feel mortally threatened and would thus resort to using its "reserved energy" to defend itself.

What I meant was, the reptile would be immobilized by cold. If it's still cold enough to necessitate hibernation when you dig it up, it will probably die in fact. I remember a pet iguana that got away outdoors. For a few weeks I tried to recapture it but it was too alert and fast in the midday heat. Then I tried a better approach: Look for it in its hedge hideout early in the morning when it was immobilized by cooler temps. Spotting it on a lilac branch, I just reached in and caught it with no trouble at all, even though it was still August and not really yet cold.

 

[Han]

My pleasure.



What I meant was, the reptile would be immobilized by cold. If it's still cold enough to necessitate hibernation when you dig it up, it will probably die in fact. I remember a pet iguana that got away outdoors. For a few weeks I tried to recapture it but it was too alert and fast in the midday heat. Then I tried a better approach: Look for it in its hedge hideout early in the morning when it was immobilized by cooler temps. Spotting it on a lilac branch, I just reached in and caught it with no trouble at all, even though it was still August and not really yet cold.

At this stage I am still not convinced the MDW is a Snake, I have read that the Mongolian name for the MDW translates as "large intestine worm" and I think that is the most reasonable explanation: that is to say that I defer to local knowledge, if they call it an Intestine worm, then it probably is.

 

[Trajanus]

At this stage I am still not convinced the MDW is a Snake, I have read that the Mongolian name for the MDW translates as "large intestine worm" and I think that is the most reasonable explanation: that is to say that I defer to local knowledge, if they call it an Intestine worm, then it probably is.

But if it were just a parasitical thing hence rather small, where do some of these stories come from?

 

[Han]

But if it were just a parasitical thing hence rather small, where do some of these stories come from?

My understanding is that although they start off tiny, some parasitic worms can grow to the size of the host entire intestine, some even reaching one hundred plus feet in length!:

"The whale tapeworm can reach over 100 feet in length (Polygonoporus giganticus)"*

In the case of Mongolia** a type of tapeworm called (T.Saginata) (aka Beef Tapeworm) lives there and can grow to twenty two meters or seventy two feet long

"T. saginata is the largest of species in the genus Taenia. An adult worm is normally 4 to 10 m in length, but can become very large; specimens over 22 m long are reported."***



*What Are Whale Tapeworms?

**Taeniasis in Mongolia, 2002-2006. - PubMed - NCBI

***Taenia saginata - Wikipedia

 

[Trajanus]

My understanding is that although they start off tiny, some parasitic worms can grow to the size of the host entire intestine, some even reaching one hundred plus feet in length!:

I knew some tapeworms could grow long but internal parasites aren't visible, quite unlike the stories in which they're said to spit at people. Maybe somebody saw a large intestinal worm after it had emerged from a deceased host(?)

 

[Han]

I knew some tapeworms could grow long but internal parasites aren't visible, quite unlike the stories in which they're said to spit at people. Maybe somebody saw a large intestinal worm after it had emerged from a deceased host(?)

This is a great point:

I am going to try and find out more regarding tapeworms, I am not sure how "mobile" they are, but I have seen nematode worms attempting to escape a host that got stuck in amber:

Maybe if the tapeworm leaves the body upon the hosts death, this was observed and possibly even blamed as the cause of death, i.e the "death" Worm?


Image source:
Palaeocast | Palaeontology podcasts

 

[Trajanus]

Maybe if the tapeworm leaves the body upon the hosts death, this was observed and possibly even blamed as the cause of death, i.e the "death" Worm?

That may be it but to my knowledge the MDW hasn't been reported, or claimed to have been seen, in association with a corpse.

 

[Han]

That may be it but to my knowledge the MDW hasn't been reported, or claimed to have been seen, in association with a corpse.

The following is from wikipedia:

"It has been told that the worm frequently preyed on camels and laid eggs in its intestines,"

I assume that said eggs were discovered upon butchery of the infected camel in question.

also from wikipedia:

The Mongolian death worm (Mongolian: олгой-хорхой, olgoi-khorkhoi, "large intestine worm")

 

[Trajanus]

The following is from wikipedia:

"It has been told that the worm frequently preyed on camels and laid eggs in its intestines,"

Interesting, thank you. Btw I hope nobody read our recent posts during meantime, lol.

 

[Han]

lol

 

[mike]

 

[Han]

One Sunda morn young Lambton went

A-fishing in the Wear;
An' catched a fish upon he's heuk (=caught) (=his hook)
He thowt leuk't vary queer. (=thought looked very strange)
But whatt'n a kind ov fish it was (=what kind of)
Young Lambton cudden't tell-
He waddn't fash te carry'd hyem, (=could not be bothered to carry it home)
So he hoyed it doon a well (=threw it down)

(Chorus)
Whisht! lads, haad yor gobs, (=Be quiet, boys, shut your mouths)
An' aa'll tell ye aall an aaful story, (=I'll tell you all an awful)
Whisht! lads, haad yor gobs,
An' Aa'll tel ye 'boot the worm. (=about)

Noo Lambton felt inclined te gan (=go)
An' fight i' foreign wars.
He joined a troop ov Knights that cared
For nowther woonds nor scars, (=neither wounds)
An' off he went te Palestine
Where queer things him befel,
An varry seun forgat aboot (=very soon forgot about)
The queer worm i' tha well.

(Chorus)

But the worm got fat an' grewed an' grewed,
An' grewed an aaful size;
He'd greet big teeth, a greet big gob,
An greet big goggly eyes.
An' when at neets he craaled aboot (=nights) (=crawled around)
Te pick up bits o' news,
If he felt dry upon the road,
He'd milk a dozen coos. (=cows)

(Chorus)

This feorful worm would often feed (=fearful)
On caalves an' lambs an' sheep,
An' swally little bairns alive (=swallow) (=children)
When they laid doon te sleep.
An when he'd eaten aall he cud (=all he could)
An' he had had he's fill,
He craaled away an' lapped he's tail (=wrapped)
Ten times roond Pensha Hill. (=Penshaw Hill, a local landmark)

(Chorus)

The news ov this myest aaful worm (=most)
An' his queer gannins on (=goings-on)
Seun crossed the seas, gat te the ears (=soon) (=got to)
Ov brave an' bowld Sor John. (=bold)
So hyem he cam an' catched the beast, (=home he came and caught)
An' cut 'im in twe haalves, (=cut him in two-halves)
An' that seun stopped hes eatin' bairns
An' sheep an' lambs an' caalves.

(Chorus)

So noo ye knaa hoo aall the foaks (=now you know how all the folk)
On byeth sides ov the Wear (=both)
Lost lots o' sheep an' lots o' sleep
An leeved i' mortal feor. (=And lived in mortal fear)
So let's hev one te brave Sor John (=let's drink to brave Sir John)
That kept the bairns frae harm, (=from)
Saved coos an' calves by myekin' haalves (=making halves)
O' the famis Lambton Worm. (=famous)

(Final Chorus)
Noo lads, Aa’ll haad me gob, (=I'll hold my mouth. Stop speaking)
That’s aall Aa knaa aboot the story (=All I known about)
Of Sir John’s clivvor job (=clever)
Wi’ the aaful Lambton Worm.