The world's largest and most amazing earthworm. What are the sizes of the largest earthworm and where do the largest giant individuals live?

Disgusting animals that can be both harmful and useful. We're talking about worms. Many, at the sight of this creeping creature, will shudder and squint, while others, on the contrary, consider these creatures cute and do not even hesitate to pick them up.

Belated maturity

The most interesting thing is that giant worms They mature quite late, by animal standards. This period begins only in the fifth year of their life. And after another year, they acquire the ability to lay eggs (it is worth noting that worms are hermaphrodites). After another year, larvae emerge from the eggs. Their length is also quite impressive - about twenty centimeters.

\ What is the purpose of worms? Charles Darwin himself told the world about them for the first time. So, these animals help moisten, mix and aerate the earth. They move in the soil, pushing it away, or swallowing the soil and passing it through their body. Boneless prefer a wet bud, since in a dry one their activity is significantly slowed down, and sometimes stops altogether.

Glowing Monsters

Australians are very happy to be next door to such a giant animal. And this is even despite the fact that during its journey underground the worm makes a kind of snorting noise that is clearly audible to people on the surface. But this is nothing compared to the amount of soil an animal cultivates when making its own burrows.

According to anecdotal evidence, but a generally accepted fact, the longest worms can be found not only in Australia, but also in New Zealand. The length of individuals can reach five meters, and these monsters glow in the dark. Instances are also found in South Africa. Maximum length itself big worm was 6.5 meters. He was caught in 1967.

However, mutants have also been found in China. True, their size was not so impressive. In Xipun province, a local resident on the estate of Li Wong discovered an animal about half a meter long. The worm was half-dead and the finder thought it was a snake. However, upon careful study, it became clear that this was an ordinary earthworm. The same one that most fishermen in Russia use as live bait. By the way, as experts said after the discovery, tall worms promote favorable climatic conditions, as well as the level of radiation and the amount of harmful chemicals in the soil. Record holders were also found in Russia, cases were recorded in the Urals and the Caucasus.

Longer than a blue whale

It turns out that the longest animal in the world is the tapeworm Lineus longissimus. It can grow up to sixty meters. It turns out that the specimen is twice the length of a blue whale and a third the length of a hairy jellyfish. The tapeworm belongs to the group of nemertean worms, which means “sea nymph”.

Scientists know about a thousand species of such worms. And almost all of them - sea ​​creatures. The animals' bodies are long and thin, and can only be two millimeters in diameter. In worms it is noted unique ability– they can stretch to their full length. If the body is not elongated, then it is about 30 meters. And the boneless one is more like a long huge tourniquet.

The tapeworm's body is made up of muscles. They pump blood, because the animal does not have a heart. Individuals are considered the most primitive organisms, and at the same time dangerous and voracious predators. In order to catch its prey, the animal shoots a long tube with poisonous sticky hooks. Many of these worms do not differ in color from the darkness water depths. However, there are also those that have quite bright colors. Tapeworms recover well from damage, and some even reproduce by dividing into parts.

Helminths

Flatworms

The longest of the worms is a representative of nemerteans - Lineus longissimum. It lives in the seas of the Northwest Atlantic. In 1864, after a storm, one specimen, 55 meters long and one centimeter in diameter, washed up on the coast of Scotland.

However, the longest worm can have a length that a person cannot even imagine. The Lenius worm lives in deep solitude, and in the literal sense of the word, at the very bottom Atlantic Ocean. They lead a bottom-dwelling lifestyle and roll their bodies into balls. Perhaps in order to leave your entire body safe and sound in the visibility zone, and also so as not to lose control over your oblong body. Lineus are unusually long and thin. They can grow up to 20-30 meters.

Delicious worm

However, there are worms that are not at all disgusting, which you can pick up and even swallow without a shudder. Here we're talking about and edible worms. And this is not a creation of nature, but a product of confectioners. Every child has eaten such a marmalade miracle at least once in their life. True, usually the yummy does not exceed 10 centimeters. However, a truly endless delicacy has been invented especially for those with a sweet tooth. The longest gummy worm has grown to a record 66 centimeters. It weighs 1.3 kg. Otherwise, the sweet worm is no different from its relatives.
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Amazing animal

The fauna on Earth amazes not only with its splendor and diversity, but also with its unusualness. There is a great variety of species and subspecies of animals. They all differ not only in structure, but also in size. And all of them, from the smallest to the largest, fully represent beautiful world fauna, so incomprehensible and so ideal in the splendor of Divine art.

And although ordinary animals are of a certain interest to humans, the greatest interest is generated by exclusive animals, that is, those that are either listed in the Guinness Book of Records or are unusual. Sometimes, a seemingly ordinary animal due to changes climate zone undergoes mutation and then it may be completely unrecognizable.

Lineus Worms

But still, the longest of the animals that inhabit the Earth is considered sea ​​worm called lineus (tapeworm Lineus longissimus). It has a flat body that looks like a ribbon, which is decorated with longitudinal and transverse stripes of light color. Typically, the worm is approximately 10 to 15 meters long.

Worm body structure

But one day a worm was found whose length was 36 meters. And the famous bootlace worm (which means string), which was discovered back in 1864, near Scotland, was more than 55 meters long.

Lineus has long trunk, which is an organ of defense as well as attack, which in a calm state is drawn inside the body of the worm. The body of the animal is covered with small hairs, which are in constant rhythmic movement with cilia that flicker.

Lineus worm can be found nearby sea ​​shores, and often in whole clusters, one might even say, in the form of large balls. This type of worm is very voracious and they, as a rule, feed only on small worms. Most interesting feature There are certain types of tapeworms that can eat themselves without causing noticeable harm to their body.

Marina Solodovnik, Samogo.Net

If the Giant Gippsland worm stretches out, it can reach two meters in length!
Due to its gigantic size, the Giant Gippsland earthworm looks more like a snake than a worm. Its dimensions reach 80 centimeters in length (compressed) and 3 centimeters in width! But if it stretches out, its length reaches two meters! The huge worm can be found in southeastern Australia and is officially recognized as the world's largest species of earthworm. Unfortunately, these wonderful creatures are an endangered species, therefore they are listed in the Red Book by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

The worm spends most of its life deep underground, in soil with moderate water content. Their burrows are usually located at a depth of 100-170 centimeters underground. Giant Gippsland is quite difficult to spot, but sometimes heavy rainfall forces them to the surface. Despite their formidable size, this type of worm is quite fragile; only a specific type of moist soil is suitable for their survival.

The giant worm lays huge eggs - cocoons that look like brown bean pods. In this case, only one egg is laid, in which offspring develop throughout the whole year. Newly hatched babies are earthworm 15 cm long! It takes almost 5 years for the worm to grow to its size. maximum length. Scientists say the Giant Gippsland has an average lifespan of 20 years.

The largest earthworm living on the planet, according to officially confirmed information, was found in South Africa and its length is about 7 meters!

In our country, of course, such large individuals are not found and an individual 30 centimeters long is considered gigantic. Australia can boast of even larger worms; specimens one and a half to two meters long live there and are quite common!

These creatures can bring both benefit and harm. Very often, when the conversation turns to worms, many people have a feeling of disgust and disgust, while others think that they are cute creatures and are happy to pick them up.

Habitat and life activities

The earthworm is a representative of the order Haplotaxida, suborder oligochaetes. On the Planet they can be found on almost all continents. The only place on earth where they have not been found is Antarctica, since permafrost prevents them from existing and reproducing normally. Typically, the length of these animals varies from 2 cm to 3 m. As we said earlier, the largest representatives of this species live in South Africa and Australia.

Many will probably be surprised, but earthworms are distinguished by longevity. It is not uncommon for individuals to be about 10 years old. Giant worms, unlike the snakes with which they are sometimes confused, do not pose any danger to humans.

Interestingly enough, the giant worm reaches maturity quite late when compared with other animals. Adulthood begins only in the fifth year of their life. And only after another year they are able to lay eggs. Even the largest worms can reproduce independently without a pair, i.e. they are hermaphrodites. After another year, small worms begin to appear from the eggs, if you can call them that, of course, because their length is very often more than 20 centimeters.

These animals are very useful, their vital activity helps improve soil fertility. They move in the ground, like their usual small counterparts, in two ways. The first is by pushing it apart and the second by swallowing it and then passing it through the entire body. They prefer to live in places with wet soil, since in dry soil their life activities become significantly more complicated or simply impossible.

Australian giant worm

Some people, seeing a huge worm, one and a half to two meters in size, crawling, may be scared, but this is completely in vain, they are completely harmless.

If you ask a simple riddle - it crawls on the ground, about a meter long, up to three centimeters thick, no legs, what is it? Most will say it's a snake or viper. And of course, it’s not a snake that’s mistaken - it’s some of the biggest worms - gypsum worms. This species was found in the Australian city of Gippsland and is considered the largest of all living on the planet. If an adult of this species stretches out, the size of the worm can reach 2 m.

Despite their impressive size and frightening appearance, these crawling giant creatures are extremely gentle. It is quite difficult to find them, because almost their entire lives they are deep in the ground. It has been established that the wetter the soil, the easier it is to breathe. These large worms dig holes at a depth of about ten centimeters. During prolonged downpours these big worms can leave their cozy shelters and get to the surface. In turn, their burrows can be discovered when a landslide occurs.

Long Gippsland worms are quite fragile - careless handling of them can lead to their death. They can only live in a certain type of moist soil.

If you walk on the ground directly above their water-filled burrows, then in response to the noise of footsteps, they can become frightened and begin to move, making sounds similar to squelching and being quite loud. Meeting them is very rare, but if one happens, you will hear.

A large Gippsland worm lays large cocoon eggs that resemble bean pods brown. A year must pass before small worms emerge from them. The length of newborns is about 20 cm. They grow slowly and reach their maximum size in about 5 years. It is uncertain exactly how long they live, but some sources indicate 20 years or even a little more.

Despite their impressive size, these worms are few in number due to the fact that their burrows are often destroyed and reproduction is slow. This species is listed in the Red Book.

This video talks about giant worms. Their habitats and life activities.

80 cm long, 2.5 cm thick, no legs, crawling on the ground - what is it? You guessed wrong, it's not a snake - it's a worm. Giant Gippsland, found in the town of Gippsland in south-eastern Australia, is the largest earthworm in the world. If such a worm stretches to its full length, it can reach two meters.

These creeping giants are surprisingly gentle creatures. Finding them is quite difficult, since they spend most of their lives deep underground, and the higher the water content in the soil, the easier it is for them to breathe. Their burrows are quite deep - often these worms live at a depth of 7.5–13 cm underground, sometimes heavy rains force them to the surface. Their burrows can also be found in places where there was a recent landslide.

Gippslands are quite fragile - careless handling can kill them. Only suitable for them to live wet soil certain type. If you walk on the ground above their water-filled burrows, they will react to the vibration from your steps - they will begin to crawl and make squelching sounds that are quite easy to hear. So even if you consider that giant gypsums are quite rare, you will know that they are near you.

Giant Gippslands lay huge cocoon eggs that look like brown bean pods. The worm lays only one egg at a time, and it takes a whole year for it to hatch. Baby giant gippslands reach 18cm in length and take about five years to grow to their maximum length. It is not known exactly how long they live, but according to preliminary estimates, about 20 years.

Despite their impressive size, there are few giant Gippslands in Australia due to the fact that their houses are easy to destroy and they reproduce slowly. Worms are listed in the Red Book as a vulnerable endangered species.