“I found this worm in a puddle of water on top of a tarp”, writes Donna in her submission regarding the long, thick, purple worm pictured below. “It appears to not like to dry out. It seems happiest just laying in the water. The mouth has this white tongue it sticks out. When disturbed it does jump a little like the Asian jumping worms, but not as extreme. It also can crawl backwards as well as forwards. Pics attached. I am a returning reader.” Firstly, welcome back to Donna. Secondly, we think the connection she made to the Asian jumping worm is very appropriate, because just like the Asian jumping worm, we think the critter Donna found is an earthworm.

It is true, earthworms do not like to dry out. They require cool, moist environments away from direct sunlight, as the UV rays dry them out and kill them. And while the most commonly-found species of earthworms are not aquatic, and could not survive for very long underwater, they do like to stay near puddles and other bodies of water when they surface from underground. We are not sure what the white tongue is that Donna is referring to, though we have some guesses. Depending on the species, some earthworms’ droppings will be white. Alternatively, it could be the egg sacs that earthworms will secrete, which are made in the clitellum (the band of thicker skin found somewhere between the middle of the body and the head of the worm).

We are not entirely sure what species of earthworm this is, but we do not think it is the common earthworm. Given its striped body, it could be a tiger worm. In any case, earthworms are not harmful, so Donna needs not worry about her health and safety. It likely just went to the puddle in the tarp because it seemed tempting! Maybe the soil had recently been too dry for the worm to absorb any water from it, so it went for the puddle to hydrate. Earthworms will actually drink from puddles if they have to/want to. Finally, in response to Donna’s final note on the worms, earthworms can indeed move “backwards as well as forwards.”

To conclude, Donna found herself a big earthworm, possibly a tiger worm. It was probably drinking from the puddle, and it is nothing to worry about. Of course, if Donna is going to use the tarp, she will want to move the worm, but moving it anywhere where there is soil will be perfect for the worm. We hope this helps, and we wish Donna the very best.

Summary

Article Name

Big Purple Worm in Puddle is an Earthworm

Description

"I found this worm in a puddle of water on top of a tarp", writes Donna in her submission regarding the long, thick, purple worm pictured below. "It appears to not like to dry out. It seems happiest just laying in the water. The mouth has this white tongue it sticks out. When disturbed it does jump a little like the Asian jumping worms, but not as extreme. It also can crawl backwards as well as forwards. Pics attached. I am a returning reader." Firstly, welcome back to Donna. Secondly, we think the connection she made to the Asian jumping worm is very appropriate, because just like the Asian jumping worm, we think the critter Donna found is an earthworm.

Author

Worm Researcher Anton