The most recent sighting of a giant Palouse earthworm was confirmed in 2005. The Palouse was spotted by a University of Idaho researcher. Seventeen years earlier, in 1988, the worm was spotted by another scientist. Even with several sightings, the unusually large Palouse earthworm is not protected under federal laws. Fortunately, Palouse fans filed a petition with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 2009. The petition calls for the protection of the Palouse as an endangered species. A petition was also filed during the Bush administration, but sadly, it failed.

Interested in another rather large worm? Look no further than the Giant Gippsland Earthworm. Scientific Classification is as follows:

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Annelida
Class: Clitellata
Subclass: Oligochaeta
Family: Megascolecidae
Genus: Megascolides
Species: M. australis
Binomial name: Megascolides australis

Discovered in 1878, the Giant Gippsland Earthworm is one of the world’s largest earthworm. It is one of 1,000 native Australian earthworms on record today. This massive creature has the ability to grow anywhere from 6.5 to 10 feet in length and around 0.8 inches (2 cm) in diameter. The longest Giant Gippsland worm on record, however, was 13 feet long. Guess this makes the Palouse look like an ant, huh?

Like other earthworms, the Giant Gippsland Earthworm needs water and moisture to survive. This means, the Gippsland rarely leaves its wet underground labyrinth. According to the Museum of Victoria, it is only found in the Bass River Valley of South Gippsland, in an area of about 100,000 hectares bounded by the towns of Loch, Korumburra and Warragul.

The Gippsland worm will not come out if you try to coax it. What you will do is scare them into burrowing deeper into the ground. Any disturbance will make the worms slither as fast as they can through their slippery tunnels. You will hear a gurgling noise as they hustle beneath the surface.

The Gippsland earthworm is an endangered species, so it is against the law to disturb them. These creatures are already fragile, thanks to agriculture, herds of animals, and pesticides. If you dig up a Gippsland worm and handle it, you could end up killing it. Fortunately, Gippsland earthworms mate every spring and summer. The egg sacs are around 2-3 inches long and they take a year to develop. Baby Gippsland worms are anything but. When they are born, the Gippsland worm is already 8 inches long. The head is deep purple and the skin is pinkish-gray.

For more information about the Giant Gippsland Earthworm, the following reading materials might be useful:

Taylor, S., Crosthwaite, J. & Backhouse, G. 1997. Giant Gippsland Earthworm Megascolides australis. Natural Resources and Environment Flora & Fauna Guarantee Action Statement No. 77. 7 pp.

Van Praagh, B. 1992. The biology and conservation of the Giant Gippsland Earthworm Megascolides australis McCoy, 1878. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 24 (12):1363-1367.

Many bioluminescent insects rely on their vision to get around in the world. Being able to produce their own light and carry it around with them makes it easier for them to survive in the world. Bioluminescent insects create light through a reaction of two chemicals in their biological make-up: luciferin and luciferase. When these two chemicals come in contact with one another they react and produce light.

Among the many insects that can create their own light is the railroad worm. Railroad worm is a common term used to reference several different insects including beetles of the Phrixothrix genus. Railroad worms are rather fascinating as they are known for their unique ability to create two different color lights: green and red.

Railroad worms generally glow green throughout their bodies while their heads may produce a redish glow. Interestingly enough, it is not entirely known why this phenomenon occurs although it is believed that the two colors are possibly produced by two different forms of the chemical luciferase in their bodies.

As a member of the beetle family, railroad worms have the distinction of belonging to the largest number of known species of insects. Most scientists agree that beetles make up nearly 25% of all living creatures on the planet. They are common, found everywhere and provide many valuable contributions to the food chain throughout the world.

Over 300,000 thousand species of beetles have been discovered throughout the world. However, new beetles are discovered on a regular basis. There is no telling how many different beetles exist in the world as there are surely many that live in habitats unexplored or unreachable by man.

There are many popular beetles known to many such as the glow worm or fireflies. Glow worms are a common name for insect larvae and adult larviform females. The name came from the light these insects produce while in the larvae stage of life when they are often confused for worms instead of the insects they are. Fireflies, also known as lightening bugs and June bugs, are also misnamed. Fireflies are not flies at all; they are beetles as well.

The giant feather duster worm, (Eudistylia polymorpha), is around 25.4 centimeters long and 1.3 centimeters wide. Ok, so it’s not so big, but it can sure look that way if you ever meet one eye to, ahem, eyes. This worm earned the name “giant feather duster worm” because it looks like a feather duster and it is also orange, maroon, and brown in color. The tube is tan and it is made of filtered particles and protein. It is not uncommon for the worm to tube to be covered in sand and shell bits.

The plume is about 6.4 centimeters wide and it has anywhere from 25-30 gills that are red in color and look like feathers. You can find the giant feather duster worm along the Pacific Coast all the way from Alaska to San Diego, California. These delightful creatures are commonly spotted in Pacific Grove, Ca. The worm prefers shallow water, so if you’re searching for one, all you have to do is look around man-made structures such as pilings, floats, and wharfs.

So what do these animals eat? The feather duster worm finds food particles and plankton to satisfy hunger pangs. By creating the current mentioned earlier, the worm moves its grub closer to its tentacles which are covered in a sticky substance that traps the food. The feather duster worm repeats this process quite often as it has a very (very) strong appetite.

According to MarineBio.com, “The giant feather duster worm’s means of fertilization, of course, are external. Oocytes may range from 140 to over 200 µm in diameter, depending on whether the species broods eggs or spawns freely. (In the latter case, the eggs are deposited in gelatinous masses either on the parent’s tube or on the seafloor.) In females, sperm receptacles may exist at the base of the crown tentacles. Gametes first accumulate in the abdomen and mature, enter the gonoducts (analogous to the human oviducts), then go on to the longitudinal (sometimes referred to as the fecal) groove. They are then directed upwards, out of the mouth, onto a series of ciliated palps, and into the sea. Once the zygotes are released, they float freely for three to four weeks before settling down.”

If you would like to see pictures of the giant feather duster worm, check out Google images and just type in “giant feather duster worm.” You will certainly get an eyefull!

The furry wooly worm can be spotted during the fall months in great numbers as they inch along the ground. While you will notice them in great numbers during the fall months, the wooly worm actually has two life cycles, so they can also be found inching around in June and July. If you see a wooly worm that appears to be curled up into a little ball, it just came in contact with a predator. The wooly worm will curl up into a ball, exposing only its bristles, in order to prick the predator and scare it away. Wooly worm bristles can be extremely irritating to the skin of humans and other animals.

Wooly worms may look small, but these dazzling creatures have 13 segments and three sets of legs. They have tiny eyes, but they make their way around mostly by feeling around and touching. Once the wooly worm has found its home for the winter, it will create a natural organic antifreeze that protects the interior of its cells. Everything else will freeze, but the wooly worm will still survive. The antifreeze protects the creature in freezing temperatures that can dip as low as –90 degrees Fahrenheit. The wooly worm is also protected by shelter. It chooses its places to hide wisely. It crawls under logs, boulders, boards, rocks, and other dark places. The wooly worm will remain in its “frozen” state until May, when it will emerge as a brilliantly colored moth.

The wooly worm (also spelled “woolly worm”) is actually a caterpillar or the larvae of the Isabella tiger moth. The tiger moth belongs to the arctiidae family, which has 11,000 species of moths around the world. The tiger moth is a beautiful creature with bright colors such as scarlet, yellow, orange, and white and rich hues ranging from black to beige. Equally as bright and beautiful, the wooly worm may have a burnt orange color in the middle and it may be black on both ends. Some wooly worms, however, are completely black or completely brown.

In some parts of the world, it is believed that the severity of the winter can be predicted by the intensity of the black on the Isabella tiger moth’s larvae (caterpillar). In the American Northeast, it is believed that if the wooly worm has more brown on its body than black, it will be a fair winter. If the wooly worm has more black than brown, the winter will be harsh.

Also called the “woolly bear,” mostly in New England and the Midwestern United States, the wooly worm has a pretty good weather prediction rate. Scientists would prefer not to acknowledge it, but the wooly worm has a 80-85% accuracy rate for predicting the weather. The worm has held its record for accuracy for more than 20 years.

If you want to see the wooly worm in action, don’t seek them out at night. Remember, worms are nocturnal for the most part, not caterpillars. The wooly worm is very active during the day. It is not uncommon to spot them in groups of hundreds, all of them with one common goal – to find a place to hide.

The real name for the caterpillar of the Catalpa Sphinx is “Catawba Worm” or “Catalpa Worm.” The Catalpa Sphinx occurs in most southern states and throughout the eastern part of the United States. So if you live in any southern state or anywhere from Florida to New York and west to Iowa, Michigan, Kansas and Texas, chances are that bright “worm” you saw was a Catawba or Catalpa Worm.

The Catawba Worm feeds on Catalpa trees. Its appetite is so great that this pretty pest can strip an entire tree of its leaves. This can be a serious problem for Catalpa trees that provide shade or nursery stock, and Catalpa trees that are popular for their ornamental beauty. The Catawba does not feed on any other tree outside of the Catalpa tree, so these trees are subject to attack at all times. The larvae are currently considered a threat to the survival of the Catalpa tree. Catalpa trees grow in all of the states mentioned above as well as in central and south central states such as Illinois and Indiana, and south to Arkansas and Tennessee.

The four life stages of the Catalpa Sphinx include the egg, larva, pupa, an adult. The larva (the worm) is white to pale yellow and it has a black spine and a horn on its rear. When the larva begins to develop, the colors change slightly. The head turns completely black and the body remains pale yellow in color but black markings develop all over the body. The pupa is reddish brown, and the moth, as mentioned earlier, is gray.

Because the Catalpa tree is considered a prized tree, known for its shading capabilities and its status as an ornamental tree, many people consider the Catawba to be destructive with no real value to the environment. Because of this, pesticides are commonly used to control infestations. In addition to human threats, the Catawba worm is constantly under attack by the wasp. The wasp is actually a parasite that deposits its eggs through the skin of the Catawba. The wasp larvae actually feed on the insides of the Catawba, and when the wasps are ready to leave the host, they spin silken cocoons on the Catawba’s skin. An infected Catawba does not survive into adulthood.

While many would say the Catawba worm is a pest, most fishermen would disagree. Catawba or Catalpa worms are extremely popular for fish bait.

The horsehair worm belongs to the roundworm family. This unique worm earned the name based on the way it looks. The horsehair worm looks like the thin hair of a horsetail. Horsehair worms are typically dark brown in color, but some are tan, yellow or black. They usually peak during the late summer as well as during the fall months. Finding horsehair worms in odd places is not uncommon. They have been spotted emerging from a cricket on the kitchen floor of homes or in the toilet after a cricket has been dumped there, and they have even been spotted in pet’s water bowls. They can also be found swimming around in lakes, rivers, streams, and garden ponds.

The life cycle begins when a male and female horsehair worm mate in soil or freshwater. The female can lay as many as 10 million eggs. She typically lays her eggs in water plants. Once the eggs hatch into larvae, they live inside cysts in vegetation — vegetation that is ingested by crickets, grasshoppers and other insects or bugs. Once ingested, the cysts dissolve inside of the grasshopper or cricket gut. The parasite makes its way into the body cavity of the insect where it absorbs nutrients from the insects’ food through the body wall.

The horsehair worm is so thin that it can develop and grow to its maximum length inside the body cavity of small cricket. However, the usual length of time that a horsehair worm will develop inside the host is 4-20 weeks. Amazingly, once the horsehair worm reaches maturity inside of the host, it can live out the rest of its life from the nutrients and energy obtained from the host. Another amazing thing about the horsehair worm is its ability to manipulate its body into many forms. The horsehair worm can even twist itself into a ball that resembles a Gordian knot, hence the name, Gordian Worm.

When the horsehair worm is ready to exit its host, usually when the host is near or in water, it will wiggle out of the nearest opening. This is not always the case, however. They have also been known to exit on dry land. Once the horsehair worm exits the body of an insect (and if it does not find another host), this emerging actually completes the life cycle. If you dare, you can witness the horsehair worm exiting the body of a cricket here. Warning: this is not a pretty sight.

How to Get Rid of Horsehair Worms

Horsehair worms can only parasitize suitable insect hosts, so after crushing pests such as crickets, millipedes, or centipedes, the worms will quickly exit the body and crawl for cover. Unless you kill them right after exiting the body, they parasitize another insect. That said, because they are not harmful to humans and because they actually kill harmful pests such as grasshoppers, crickets, cockroaches, beetles, millipedes, centipedes, snails, slugs, etc., no control measures are recommended.

If you have a horsehair worm problem, you can:

• Use plain water to get rid of them (you can spray them)
• Install a mesh filter or screen to keep the worms from water pumped from a surface supply such as a farm pond or canal
• Treat domestic water supply systems by filtering and treating with chemicals under the direction of the local health department

To keep parasitized insects out of your home, you should caulk or seal entry sites. If you kill an insect, make sure you take it out of the home immediately. If you flush it, the horsehair worm will escape from the insect’s body through the toilet. You can also place an insecticide barrier around your house foundation to kill any arthropod pests infested with horsehair worms.

Playskool went on to create the Lullaby Gloworm Boy which not only lights up when squeezed, but also plays several different lullabies. The music is soft and soothing helping infants calm down and fall asleep. There are three settings on the Lullaby Gloworm Boy: the first sets the toy to play the programmed lullabies for a short period of time; the second setting plays lullabies for a longer period of time; and the third setting turns off the music but still allows the toy to light up.

Fisher Price makes a Night Glow Pooh based on the popular Winnie-the-Pooh character. Night Glow Pooh lights up and plays lullabies as well. And, the toys eyes open and close when the tummy is squeezed. Night Glow Pooh also has an on/off button that controls when parents want music to play and when they don’t. This is a great feature since it allows parents to turn music off after their child goes to sleep so it is not triggered by movement which could wake a sleeping child.

Another popular glowworm glow worm toy made by Fisher-Price is the Ocean Wonders Soothe & Glow Seahorse. The toy lights up and plays music as well. The musical selections are more varied than other toys. Ocean Wonders Soothe & Glow Seahorse plays lullabies, classical music and has music that sounds like the ocean. The toy itself looks like a seahorse and its belly lights up instead of its face when it is squeezed.

There are many versions of the original Glo Worm on the market today. Children love the music, the lights and the movement. The different toys offer parents the opportunity to choose what will suit their needs best.

The reason they possess the common name of Pompeii is their ability to thrive in extremely hot temperatures, up to 176 degrees Fahrenheit (80 degrees Celsius). The city of Pompeii was destroyed in an eruption of the famous volcano Mount Vesuvius. The Pompeii worm is the most heat-tolerant animal known to man.

The scientific classification for the Pompeii worm is as follows: Kingdom, Animalia; Phylum, Annelida; Class, Polychaeta; Order, Terebellida; Family, Alvinellidae; Genus, Alvinella; Species, pompejana.

Pompeii worms were first discovered near the Galapagos Islands known for its famous turtles, the explorations of Charles Darwin, and the basis for Darwin’s theory of natural selection. The Galapagos Islands are made up of thirteen islands located in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of South America. The worms live in hydrothermal vents. Hydrothermal vents are basically a crack in the earth’s surface where lava is released from volcanoes.

Most hydrothermal vents release lava, but do not do it in an explosive way. As such, they are very hot. One of the most famous above ground hydrothermal vent system is located in Yellowstone National Park where many people visit to see geysers and hot springs in action. Hydrothermal vents also exist below the ocean’s surface where volcanoes are quite active.

Pompeii worms grow to approximately 13 centimeters (5 inches). They are pale grey with many hairs that are actually bacteria. Scientists believe these hairs provide protection to the worm from the elements. The worms also secrete mucus that the hairy bacteria eat.

The worms live in large colonies and their heads are protected by the rest of their bodies. The head extends out of the worm’s body to eat and breathe but is generally protected from the extreme conditions that the worms live in.

It is not fully understood how the worms live in the conditions that they do. It is very difficult to study these animals as they do not survive outside of the world in which they live. Many scientists believe the bacteria on the worms provide life-sustaining elements including insulation from the heat.

Earthworms

Earthworms can be found in just about every corner of the earth. They live in trees, in bark, and under rocks as well as along rivers and near springs, and ponds. Their favorite place to live, however, is in the earth’s rich soil. During the winter months, they burrow deep within the earth until the surface warms again during the spring. During the warm summer months, worms stay closer to the tops of soil where they create tunnels to wiggle in and out of. These tunnels are extremely important for plant life as they create a path for water and air, which is essential for the survival of plant life.

Places like China, Australia, Greenland, and the Sahara Desert have their own indigenous species of worms. Besides the Sahara Desert, you won’t find large numbers of worms living in “sandy” areas, especially sandy beaches. The vast majority of worms on our planet can only survive under certain environmental conditions.

Worms have no lungs, so they breathe through their skin. This means that the worm’s environment and skin must be moist at all times. This allows the worm to breathe in oxygen. If the worm’s skin dries out, the worm will die from suffocation. While worms need moisture to survive, too much moisture can be fatal. If too much water is present, it takes the place of oxygen, which will cause the worms to flee to the surface. Once on the surface, worms will be exposed to sunlight. If worms remain in the sunlight for too long, they can become paralyzed.

In addition to needing a moist environment for survival, worms must also remain close to their food supply. Worms feed off leaves and dead grass, which contain organisms that provide a healthy diet of bacteria, algae, and fungi. Worms feast on dirt as well, especially if they live deeper inside the earth. Worms also eat plants, fruits, and vegetables.

Although you cannot see them, unbelievably, worms do have mouths. The worm’s mouth is actually big enough and powerful enough to grab a leaf and drag it around. They also have a pharynx, esophagus, crop, gizzard, and intestine. When the worm eats its food, it pulls the materials into its mouth with the help of the pharynx and its prostomium (also called acron). This creates a suction motion. This suction motion aids in helping the worm consume large amounts of food in a sort amount of time. The gizzard grinds the food. Worms eat so much that they typically produce excrement equal to their own weight every 24 hours.

The worm’s moist, sustenance rich environment plays an extremely important role in reproduction as well. Worms prefer to mate and reproduce in warm moist soil, away from the light.

Besides the bright tip and the white tub, you won’t find much else on a tubeworm. They have no eyes, mouth, or stomach. According to the University of Delaware Graduate College of Marine Studies, “tubeworm survival depends on a symbiotic relationship with the billions of bacteria that live inside of them. These bacteria convert the chemicals that shoot out of the hydrothermal vents into food for the worm. This chemical- based food-making process is referred to as chemosynthesis.”

While the tubeworm does not have a mouth in its mature stage, it does have a mouth and a stomach in its earliest stages. During this time, bacteria enters through the mouth and gut, so they have stores. As the worm grows, the mouth and gut disappear.

The University of Delaware states that “while the tubeworm depends on the bacteria that live in its body for energy and food, sometimes tubeworms provide food for other deep-sea dwellers. Fish and crabs may nibble off the tubeworm’s red plume.”

For more information tubeworms or to view images and a video, visit Voyage to the Deep at http://www.ceoe.udel.edu/deepsea/home/home.html.