Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Earthworm head. Depending on the species, an adult earthworm can be from 10 mm (0.39 in) long and 1 mm (0.039 in) wide to 3 m (9.8 ft) long and over 25 mm (0.98 in) wide, but the typical Lumbricus terrestris grows to about 360 mm (14 in) long. [9]
Ice worms (also written as ice-worms or iceworms, or also called glacial or glacier worms) are enchytraeid annelids of the genus Mesenchytraeus. The majority of the species in the genus are abundant in gravel beds or the banks of riverine habitats, [2] [3] but the best-known members of the genus are found in glacial ice.
In still ponds, ice worms gather in bundles. Researchers speculate this is reproductive behavior. Ice worms do not graze in groups on the surface, so the contact in still ponds provides the rare opportunity for breeding. Ice worms move on the surface of ice at about 3 m/h (meters per hour) and move through snow by squeezing between the grains. [2]
Microchaetus rappi, the African Giant Earthworm, is a large earthworm in the family Microchaetidae, the largest of the segmented worms (commonly called earthworms). It averages about 1.4 meters (4.5 feet) in length, but can reach a length of as much as 6.7 meters (22 feet) and can weigh over 1.5 kilograms (3.3 pounds).
Oligochaetes are well-segmented worms and most have a spacious body cavity (coelom) used as a hydroskeleton.They range in length from less than 0.5 mm (0.02 in) up to 2 to 3 metres (6.6 to 9.8 ft) in the 'giant' species such as the giant Gippsland earthworm (Megascolides australis) and the Mekong worm (Amynthas mekongianus).
In some areas where it is an introduced species, some people consider it to be a significant pest for out-competing native worms. [ 1 ] Through much of Europe, it is the largest naturally occurring species of earthworm , typically reaching 20 to 25 cm in length when extended.
The abundance of earthworms is highly correlated to soil pH, texture, water content, and temperature. [26] Earthworms have the ability to biomonitor soil pollutants . [ 27 ] This is because of earthworms' burrowing habit serves to facilitate water flow and agrochemicals through the soil profile, so are able to perform carbon sequestration and ...
The peculiar genus Mesenchytraeus is known as "ice worms", as they spend the majority of their lives within glaciers, only rising to the surface at certain points in the summer. [ 2 ] [ 3 ] Enchytraeidae also includes the Grindal worm ( Enchytraeus buchholzi ), which is commercially bred as aquarium fish food.