Move Over Murder Hornets, Ice Worms Are New Scary in Washington

Holy Cow! Just when you thought we were safe from murder hornets, now we've got to deal with ice worms!

Hundreds of thousands of ice worms are rearing their little heads out of the Mt. Rainier glaciers.

Are Ice Worms Deadly?

If you see these little guys, don't be alarmed. It's quite a sight to see the tiny worms dancing under the ice and for the most part, they are harmless. If you don't like crawly things, you'll run. If you like normal worms, then these ice worms will be more of a fascination to you.

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Where Are Ice Worms Located At?

Ice Worms were discovered in 1887 in Alaska and they are really fascinating creatures.

They can survive arctic temperatures but generally don't survive being frozen below zero degrees Celcius.

The ice worms exist in a thin temperature range. It's interesting that they can't be frozen and survive up to zero degrees celsius.

If temperatures rise above 40 degrees Fahrenheit, the worms can't survive.

If you are up on Mount Rainier, you'll spot them right below the ice dancing away.

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If you spot them, the worms can be usually be found below the ice in the afternoon and before dusk.

If You Want To See Ice Worms, Go To Mount Rainier

We haven't studied a lot about ice worms, they are related to normal earthworms and some speculate that ice worms might even exist in the darkest reaches of space due to the fact that they can survive under the ice, eating bacteria and algae, and other nutrients trapped in the ice.

Ice worms have been spotted going at least 10 MPH under the ice and our above video shows them moving to make for a pretty spectacular sight.

We have murder hornets but the ice worms seem to be a lot less deadly than the flying insects and are happy to stay within their own frozen habitat rather than bothering us pesky humans.

You can read more about ice worms here.