One of our readers wrote to us and asked us if worms can see and if so how do they do so. This is a question that has come up a lot with our readers. There are quite a few types of worms that are blind, but some worms have specific ways of seeing or sensing light in order to crawl their way around the soil or a specific place.
All About Worms is always free, always reader-supported, we don't subject you to annoying video or ad pop-ups. But it does cost us money out of our pocket to keep the site going (nearly 20 years so far!) So your tips via CashApp, Venmo, or Paypal are appreciated! Receipts will come from ISIPP Publishing.
CashApp us
Venmo us
Paypal us
There are some varieties of worms that have pigment spot ocelli which are very basic eyes. These eyes contain neither a lens nor a retina, and look red or black when seen on a worm’s body. These ocelli have a few cells in them that can help the worms to sense light. This is one of the ways that they can determine which direction to move and where to go. They can detect the light that is in front of them with these ocelli.
The ocelli are what truly gives the worms their sense of direction. Without these ocelli, worms would not be able to navigate to find food and other things that they need to survive.
When our reader asked us if worms can see, the answer is that they can perceive light from the light sensitive cells in their ocelli. It doesn’t necessarily mean that they can see like humans and many other creatures, but they can perceive where the light is in order to find their way around.
All About Worms is always free, always reader-supported, we don't subject you to ads or annoying video pop-ups. But it does cost us money out of our pocket to keep the site going (nearly 20 years so far!) So your tips via CashApp, Venmo, or Paypal are appreciated! Receipts will come from ISIPP Publishing.
CashApp us
Venmo us
Paypal us
Originally posted 2015-12-23 11:17:21.
