Mysterious 'snake' spotted in Virginia turns out to be invasive worm

Nov. 3 (UPI) -- A Virginia wildlife management company shared photos of a mysterious "snake" that was later identified as an invasive species of large worm.

Virginia Wildlife Management and Control posted photos to Facebook that were sent in by a caller to the company's Snake Identification Hotline after the creature was spotted in Midlothian.

"We've never seen anything like it before and we're not sure if it's a freak of nature," the post said.

The company later posted an update after experts identified the 10- to 12-inch animal as a hammerhead worm, an invasive species native to Southeast Asia.

The species is notoriously difficult to kill, as even a small fragment of its body can regenerate into a complete worm.