Regeneration of Planarian in  Stimulants     |   home
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Facts about Planarian
•   Planaria belong to the phylum, Platyhelminthes, (flatworms).
•   They are a free-living, flat bodied, freshwater creatures that can regenerate their lost body parts.
•   They live 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 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 planaria cultures alive:

•   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
•   Feed them little bits of hard cooked 'egg yolk' every few days - to a week at most. They  will eat liver 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 refrigerate 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 (loosely closed) and store it in a closed cupboard.
•   They are sensitive to extremes of light, temperature, and pH.

This information relates to our topic of planaria because it provides us with facts and directions on keeping them alive, successfully.