Earthworm Species
• About 2,700 species– Nightcrawler (most
common, from Europe)– Manure Worm
(Compost Worm)– Green worm (can be
green, pink, gray, yellow)
– Snake worm (“Crazy worm”, very fast, from China)
Earthworm Anatomy• Cold-blooded• Invertebrates• No eyes (Light
sensitive)• Breathe through skin
-Can live underwater
•Feel vibrations through ground•Setae= bristles for moving •Can regrow tail•Mucus secretion
–Create stable tunnels
How long can they get?
• Depends on species• Compost Worms
– As small as 2 cm
• Nightcrawlers– Can be almost 1 ft!
• Longest Worm: South Africa– 22 feet from head to
tail!!!
What/How do they Eat?• Not just dirt, but the remains of living
things that are in the dirt! – Decomposers = eaters of dead material– Dead plants (leaves and roots) and dead
animals – Also eat living organisms (bacteria, fungus, etc).
• No teeth! Very strong mouth muscles– Eat small pieces of food– Also “swallow" soil - get nutrients from it – Nightcrawlers pull pieces of food into their
burrows to eat later.
Why Do We Like Earthworms?
• “Open up soil”– Burrowing– Oxygen and water
• Fertilize the soil– Burrowing mixes soil– Slime contains Nitrogen– “Casts” (earthworm
poop!)• Contains nutrients for
plants• Helps soil pH
• Composting• Food for other animals
Earthworm Life• How many are there in my
yard?– More than 1 million per
acre
• How long can they live?– Nightcrawlers about 6 years– Other species up to 10 years– If they don’t get eaten first!
Average life in wild = 2 yrs
• Hatch from cocoons– Can produce up to 80
cocoons per year (which could make about 240 babies)
What do earthworms like?
• Earthworms like to live underground in the soil.
• Do you think they would like an area that was light or dark?
What do earthworms like?
• Earthworms like to live underground in the soil.
• Do you think they would like an area that was hot or cold?
What do earthworms like?
• Earthworms like to live underground in the soil.
• Do you think they would like an area that was wet or dry?
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