Flatworm

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	Image gallery
Real-world info
	Name: Pseudoceros meenae; Family: Pseudocerotidae
Main appearances
	DnM DnM+ AC DnMe+ iQue; WW CF NL NH
Other appearances
	Film HHD aF PC
	Names in other languages ヒラムシ; 海扁虫; Ver plat; Gusano políclado; Verme piatto; Плоский червь 납작벌레; 海扁蟲; Ver plat; Gusano políclado; Meerstrudelwurm; Platworm

←

(38) Spotted garden eel

New Horizons sea creatures

Venus' flower basket (40)

→

New Horizons sea creatures
← (38) Spotted garden eel	→ Venus' flower basket (40)

The flatworm (ヒラムシ, Hiramushi) is a type of sea creature in the Animal Crossing series introduced in Animal Crossing: New Leaf.

While initially absent from Animal Crossing: New Horizons, the flatworm was added in the 1.3.0 Free Summer Update in July 2020, where it appears from 4 PM to 9 AM as a tiny, very slow shadow from late summer to early fall.

Catch details[edit]

In New Leaf[edit]

#16

"I got a flatworm! Why's it so flat? Steamroller?"

Time of year	Aug – Sep 15 All year (Tortimer Island)
Time of day	4 PM – 9 AM
Peak times	N/A
Shadow size	Small
Shadow movement	Uniform
Sea creature size	4 cm
Selling price	200 Bells
Furniture size

In New Horizons[edit]

#39

"I got a flatworm! Guess it forgot its spareworm."

Time of year	North: Aug – Sep South: Feb – Mar
Time of day	4 PM – 9 AM
Shadow size	Tiny
Shadow movement	Very slow
Spawn requirement	Appears from the start of the game
Selling price	700 Bells
Furniture size

Donating to the museum[edit]

In New Leaf[edit]

Upon donating a flatworm to the museum, it can be found in the large pool in the first room of the sea exhibit, along with many other species of sea creatures. It is found near the entrance of the exhibit. The exhibit has this to say about the Flatworm:

"Flatworms are flat creatures, and while some types look like Sea Slugs, they have little else in common. Some types are venomous and produce a poison similar to the kind blowfish are famous for. Flatworms are hermaphrodites and mate by fighting to determine the loser, who then bears the eggs."

In New Horizons[edit]

When donating to the museum, Blathers will say the following:

"Marine flatworms are...well...flat and worm-like, as their name suggests. But while this sea creature is said to be quite simple, it does possess some rather remarkable powers. You see, when flatworms are injured, they can grow new body parts with ease. And when a flatworm is cut in half, each side can grow a whole new flatworm of its own. But most impressive of all...some flatworms can clone themselves without suffering a single cut! Ah, if only I, too, could safely divide myself in two. Hoo, imagine all the work I could do!"

Once donated, the flatworm can be found in the coastal tank, alongside the seaweed and the abalone.

Fishing Tourney[edit]

In New Leaf[edit]

During a Fishing Tourney, when given a Flatworm, Chip will not score the sea creature but will say the following:

"So flatworms... Bleck, we're most likely better off not eating these. Yeah, I think I'm really gonna pass!"

Gallery[edit]

For more images, view this subject's gallery.

Animal Crossing: New Leaf
Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Real-world information[edit]

Flatworms are their own phylum, which includes tapeworms and flukes. Over half of all known flatworm species have parasitic behavior, which means that they thrive on another organism, a host, at the host's expense. Flatforms also lack a distinguished respiratory and circulatory organs, which is one reason for their flat shape. As a result, flatworms must rely on diffusion to take in oxygen while expelling carbon dioxide.