Worm Facts
Some Fun and Interesting Worm Facts
Some worm facts are run of the mill, and some are utterly amazing. Like the fact that there are somewhere around 2700 different species of earthworm. Who knew? And who knew that more than a million worms can make their homes in just 1 acre of land? Not me.
Check out these worm facts and see how many you already know:
> Worms have no arms or legs, which is obvious with just a quick glance. What is not one of the more obvious worm facts is that they do not have eyes either. How do they find their way, you may ask, without any eyes?
> Worms are equipped with natural light sensors that are especially strong in the front end of their body. Since worms are happiest in the dark, they slither away from light whenever they sense it. Worms that are exposed to light for merely 1 hour will become paralyzed and die.
> Worms thrive living in dark, most soil where the temperature stays consistent and there are good food sources. They tunnel down into the soil in search of food and will move along to other locations when the environment no longer suits them.
> Earthworms are good for the garden because they secrete a slime substance that is chock full of nitrogen, which plants love.
> Worms like to eat dead roots, leaves and stems, which is why they burrow deep into rich soil. A worm is able to eat its own body weight in food every day.
> Worms are cold blooded creatures, and they cannot be out in the sun for more than an hour at a time. Prolonged exposure to light causes a worm’s body to dry out and become paralyzed which causes death in a short period of time.
> Worm bodies are divided into segments, and they have the amazing ability of being able to replace a segment that is broken off. Some body sections, like the tail, are quite easy for a worm to replace. If the worm is severely damaged, or the head is cut off, they may not be able to get it back together.
> All worms are equipped with both female and male organs, meaning that any worm has the ability to mate with any other worm. There is a swollen area, called the clitella, located by the worm’s head, that they join with the same area on another worm while exchanging sperm. After mating, both worms develop and carry an egg.
> Worms are hatched, not born, and they emerge from a cocoon that is tinier than a grain of white rice.
> Worms grow to a variety of lengths, depending on their species. The largest species of earthworm is an Australian Gippsland earthworm. This worm can grow to a length of 12 feet and weight more than 1 pound.
> The biggest known earthworm came from South Africa. It tipped the ruler at 22 feet.