“So I went to your website and I was looking for nightcrawlers but didn’t see the nightcrawlers”, states this reader in his submission. “Do you have anything about nightcrawlers?” he asks. To start with, we do indeed have articles on nightcrawlers. We have even written a “post solely on these creatures and what they are“. Of course, we are still happy to go over them in this article, seeing as our reader was not able to find this one. That said, for future reference, if any of our readers wish to find a specific organism, all they need to do is press the magnifying glass icon in the top right-hand corner of the website’s home page and type in what organism you want to find. Naturally, if nothing comes up, then shoot us a question!

Nightcrawlers are a species of earthworm, and they greatly resemble the common earthworm: they have a long, round, segmented body with a thicker band of skin near its center (the clitellum). What makes a nightcrawler distinct, at least in terms of its physical appearance, is its coloration. Unlike the common earthworm, which is typically a solid pinkish brown color, the nightcrawler is typically split up into two solid colors: one half is a light brown, beige-ish color, while the other half is a dark brown color. We should note that the divide is not always so clear cut: some nightcrawlers are mostly light pink and then have a darker rear.

Like the common earthworm, nightcrawlers feed on decomposing organic matter in the soil, and their nutrient-rich excretions act as fertilizers in the soil which aid the growth of plant life. Similarly, nightcrawlers soak up oxygen through their skin, feel vibrations in the ground, and detect light through unique cells. Despite this last fact, nightcrawlers are nocturnal, hence the name. Also, like all annelids (the phylum that earthworms belong to), their bodies are segmented and are bilaterally symmetrical. Like most earthworm species, nightcrawlers are native to Europe, but were introduced to other continents via trading and migration. Finally, while nightcrawlers are not dangerous, they can potentially carry diseases and pathogens, so they are not safe to consume.

In conclusion, this has been a brief look at nightcrawlers. They are a type of nocturnal earthworm and are nothing to fear! We hope this has satisfied our reader’s curiosity about them, and we wish him the very best!

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