The longest earthworm. Megascolides australis - the largest worm in the world
If the Giant Gippsland worm stretched out, it could 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 (in a compressed state), and 3 centimeters in width! But if it stretches out, then its length reaches two meters! A huge worm can be found in the southeast of Australia, it is officially recognized as the world's largest species of earthworms. Unfortunately, these wonderful creatures belong to 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 a moderate water content. Their burrows are usually located at a depth of 100-170 centimeters underground. Finding Giant Gippsland is quite difficult, but sometimes heavy precipitation causes them to crawl out to the surface. Despite their formidable size, this type of worm is quite fragile, only a specific type of wet 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 earthworms 15 cm long! It takes almost 5 years for the worm to grow to its maximum length. Scientists say that the life expectancy of Giant Gippsland is an average of 20 years.
Australia, without a doubt, is the continent where the most unusual representatives of the animal world live. But three-meter earthworms are exotic even by Australian standards. Today we will talk about the longest and largest type of earthworm in the world - the giant gypsum.
The Latin name for this species of oligochaetes is Megascolides australis, but it is more commonly referred to as the giant gipsland, as it lives exclusively in the Gipsland region of southeast Australia and is really huge.
The appearance of the giant gipsland is very reminiscent of the well-known earthworms, it is not for nothing that they are the closest relatives. But its size is simply amazing and makes one doubt that it is really an earthworm. The usual length of a giant gipsland is 0.8-1.5 meters, but individuals of venerable age reach a length of 3 meters, while having a diameter of 2 to 5 centimeters.
Giant gipslands are very rare animals, and they can only be found in one single place, in the Bass River region in Victoria. Here they inhabit the upper layers of the soil over an area of about 40,000 hectares. Despite the fact that in some places up to 10 worms can be found per 1 cubic meter of soil, giant gypsums have the status of an endangered species due to their limited range. If necessary, they can go deep to a distance of 1.5 meters from the surface. Giant gipslands, like earthworms known to us, feed on plant debris that they find in the soil.
The relatively small number of giant gipslands is associated with the peculiarities of its reproduction. The fact is that this species reaches sexual maturity at the age of 4-5 years. In addition, only one worm is born from a laid egg, and it takes a whole year for its development from an egg. When a small giant gipsland is just born, it already has a length of 18 centimeters.
These earthworms are so huge that when they move underground in their passages, a characteristic noise is heard above. These worms very rarely appear on the surface, for example, disturbed by an unusual noise, but still some people manage to see them. And if you find yourself in this part of Australia and meet a 3-meter creature that crawls along the ground, then do not be alarmed, because this is not a snake, but just a harmless earthworm.
Megascolides australis is the largest worm in the world. Its length can reach up to 3 m, and its diameter up to 20 mm. The giant lives in the south of Gipsland near the Bass River (Australia, Victoria).
This species of earthworm belongs to the Megascolecidae family. As a rule, a giant worm digs holes no more than 1.5 m deep and about 20 mm in diameter. Usually does not creep beyond 40 m from the Bass River. The worm can glow in the dark, and while moving underground, it emits a kind of snort, which, if it is shallow, can be easily heard on the surface.
Prefers moist soil, since the more water in the soil, the easier it is for him to breathe. However, in case of heavy rains, he has to get to the surface. The largest worm in the world feeds on dead organic matter and plant roots.
Life expectancy can be 10-20 years, but accurate information does not currently exist. Interestingly, puberty occurs only after 5 years, when the ability to lay eggs appears. A year after the eggs were laid, only one larva 18-20 cm in size appears.
Megascolides australis was first described by the British scientist Frederick McCoy in 1878. In the Australian city of Corumburra, in honor of the giant worm, an annual festival called Karmai is held. Translated from the language of the natives, this means a huge worm. During the festival, the queen of these giants is chosen.
80 cm long, 2.5 cm thick, no legs, crawling on the ground - what is it? You guessed it, it's not a snake - it's a worm. Giant Gipslands, found in the town of Gipsland in southeastern Australia, are the largest earthworms in the world. If such a worm stretches to its full length, it can reach two meters.
These creeping giants are amazingly 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 get to the surface. Also, their burrows can be found in places where a landslide has recently descended.
Gipslands are quite fragile - careless handling can kill them. Only a certain type of moist soil is suitable for them to live. If you walk on the ground above their water-filled burrows, they will react to the vibration from your footsteps - they will begin to crawl and make squelching sounds that are quite easy to hear. So even if you consider that giant gipslands are quite rare, you will know that they are near you.
Giant gipslands lay huge cocoon eggs that look like brown bean pods. The worm only lays one egg at a time, and it takes a whole year for it to hatch. Giant gipsland cubs reach 18 cm in length, and in order to grow to their maximum length, they take about five years. It is not known exactly how long they live, but according to preliminary estimates, 20 years.
Despite their impressive size, there are few giant gipslands in Australia due to the fact that their homes are easy to destroy and they reproduce slowly. Worms are listed in the Red Book as a vulnerable endangered species.
Children raised by animals
10 mysteries of the world that science has finally revealed 2500-year-old scientific secret: why we yawn Miracle China: peas that can suppress appetite for several days In Brazil, a live fish more than a meter long was pulled out of a patient The elusive Afghan "vampire deer" 6 objective reasons not to be afraid of germs
Disgusting animals that can be both harmful and beneficial. It's about worms. Many, at the sight of this creeping shudder and warp, while others, on the contrary, consider these creatures cute and do not even hesitate to pick them up. Earthworms belong to the order Haplotaxida, a suborder of oligochaetes.
belated maturity
The most interesting thing is that giant worms mature quite late, by animal standards. This period begins only in the fifth year of their life. And after another year, they have the ability to lay eggs (it is worth noting that the worms are hermaphrodites). One year later, 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 contribute to moistening, mixing and aerating the earth. They move in the soil, pushing it, or swallowing the earth and passing it through their body. Boneless prefer a wet kidney, because in the dry their activity is significantly inhibited, and sometimes even stops.
glowing monsters
Australians are very pleased with the neighborhood with such a giant animal. And this is despite the fact that during its journey underground, the worm emits a kind of snort, which is clearly audible to people on the surface. But this is nothing compared to how much soil an animal processes by making minks for itself.
According to unconfirmed data, but a generally accepted fact is that 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. Copies are also found in South Africa. The maximum length of the largest worm was 6.5 meters. He was caught in 1967.
However, mutants were also 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 closer examination, it became clear that this is an ordinary earthworm. The one that most fishermen in Russia use as live bait. By the way, as experts said after the discovery, favorable climatic conditions, as well as the level of radiation and the amount of harmful chemicals in the soil, contribute to the high growth of worms. 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 individuals are twice the length of a blue whale and a third of a hairy jellyfish. The tapeworm belongs to the group of nemerte worms, which means "sea nymph".
Scientists know about a thousand species of such worms. And almost all of them are marine life. The bodies of animals are long and thin, and can be only two millimeters in diameter. Worms have a unique ability - they can stretch to their full length. If the body is not elongated, then it is about 30 meters. And the boneless is more like a long huge tourniquet.
The body of a tapeworm 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 of the water depths. However, there are those who have a rather bright color. Tapeworms recover well after damage, and some even reproduce by dividing into parts.
However, the longest worm can have a length that a person cannot even imagine. The lenius worm lives in deep seclusion, and in the literal sense of the word, at the very bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. They lead a bottom lifestyle and fold their bodies into balls. It is possible in order to keep your entire body safe and sound in the visibility zone, as well as not to lose control over your oblong body. Lineuses are unusually long and thin. They can grow up to 20-30 meters.
delicious worm
However, there are absolutely not nasty worms that can be picked up without a shudder and even swallowed. Here we are talking about edible worms. And this is not a brainchild of nature, but a product of confectioners. Every child at least once in his life ate such a marmalade miracle. True, usually yummy does not exceed 10 centimeters. However, especially for the sweet tooth, they came up with a truly endless delicacy. The longest gummy worm has grown to a record 66 centimeters. It weighs 1.3 kg. Otherwise, the sweet worm does not differ from its relatives.
Loading...
