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?