A reader writes to ask whether glowing green nightcrawlers are safe for turtles to eat. We’ve written previously about glowing green nightcrawlers, also known as glowworms, but this reader’s specific query, which we can surmise relates to a desire to expand a beloved pet turtle’s palate, has not been previously addressed. To that end, we’ve prepared a refresher on the nature of growing green nightcrawlers, as well as their suitability for animal consumption (we assume the possibility of human glowworm consumption is not of widespread interest). As you’ll see, some glowworms can probably be fed to pets and some cannot.

A reader asked us how long earthworms can live underwater. There isn’t a clear-cut answer to this question because it depends on the oxygen level of the water and the worms, but in general earthworms can be expected to live for about 2 weeks submerged underwater before they drown.

We believe the worm that our reader found in her toilet came from her pipes, not her body! We are confident it is an earthworm, not a parasite! Of course, if she is convinced that it came from her body, she should see a doctor ASAP since we are not licensed medical professionals. 

We attempted to identify the specimen in a photo a reader sent us. At first we thought it could be a centipede, but then we settled on the belief that it is a bristle worm!

One of our readers has been finding worms in her bathroom over the course of a few months. We are confident these worms are earthworms, which are not dangerous or harmful!

The earthworm’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. If the conditions are not suitable for reproduction, the worms won’t reproduce.

one of our readers discovered hundreds (or maybe even thousands!) of long, red worms outside of her home after experiencing some rain. We think these are earthworms.

We just heard from a reader who found a worm swimming in her toilet bowl at work. She sent us some great photos and requests answers to the following two questions: What kind of worm is it and how did it end up in the toilet? Finally, she added that her work building is in an older part of town where there is some standing water around the building.

Although our site is called “All About Worms” we deal with a variety of different creatures that aren’t technically worms. Often, when people reach out to us about a specimen they have discovered in their home, it is actually larvae of a moth or fly. However, on occasion, our readers do in fact discover worms. Most often, these are earthworms, and so this is what we will focus on. This post will inform readers of the simple way to remove earthworms from their homes using natural and non-toxic methods.

Segmented worms are placed in the phylum Annelida, which consists of over 12,000 species of segmented worms grouped into three classes comprising freshwater worms and earthworms, marine worms, and leeches.

There are nearly 10,000 species of bristle worm. Bristle worms can be tiny or large. Bristle worms can be benign or predatory. In fact, the bristle worm family is as diverse a worm family as one could hope to find.

What do you know about leeches? Once valued, then reviled, the leech has never been completely understood. To some, it is a lifesaving tool of medicine; to others, leeches are deadly predators. Who’s right?

So you think all earthworms are the same? Think again! There are 4400 known species of earthworms on our planet!

Do you know how many species of segmented worms there are? Did you know that segmented worms are highly evolved, with a circulatory system and complex nervous system? There are over 12,000 species of segmented worm – how many segmented worms can you name?

These ten great earthworm facts will convince you that the earthworm is an amazing creature. Test your own knowledge against these 10 great earth worm facts!

“Do worms have feet?” asks Max in his submission. He does not include any photos, or any more context behind his question, but we will do our best to answer it nonetheless. The short answer is ‘no’. But if we take this a step further and ask why worms do not have feet, we get to the root of what worms really are to begin with. It would probably take studying the evolutionary history of worms to fully understand where this creature came from and to explain its footless state. Funnily enough, “a fossilized worm found” only a few years ago had scientists speculating that this creature may have been “key to the evolution of much of the animal kingdom”. So maybe we were all footless, legless worms at some point in time.

“Tonight I went to use the bathroom to urinate but when I looked down I noticed a living worm there”, writes Alberto in his submission regarding the dark, long, worm-like creature pictured below. “My first thought was that the worm came from me, and that it was a parasite (I did use the bathroom in the morning, but I didn’t use the bathroom until the night when I saw the worm), but when I started researching in Google it didn’t seem like the worm looked like the typical parasite that infects humans. Those seem to be white or cream, while this worm looks black with a bit of red and some transparent parts when it stretches. Also I didn’t have any symptoms the days before, like itching, however I did have some light digestive looseness the day before, but I think I’m pretty sure it was something I ate the same day, but I’m not sure though. I did take a dewormer just in case, but I would like to be sure if that worm could be a parasite that came from me. I’d leave a video and some other pics of the worm, thank you very much! I live in Monterrey, Mexico.”

“I found the worms in the attached photo in the toilet in my basement which is not frequently used”, writes Emma in her submission regarding the mass of worms pictured below. “This is the second time we have found worms in this toilet in the past six months. Would you be able to identify them for me? Thank you!” Unfortunately, Emma’s photo is taken so far away from the worms that when we zoom in, the details become too blurry for us to give a confident and accurate identification. That said, we will still give an educated guess based on the general shape and coloration of the worms.

“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.

“In addition to, thankfully, lots of earthworms, I often find small worm-like creatures in my (UK) home-made compost (see picture, which I will hopefully be able to attach)”, writes John in his submission regarding the tiny, cream-white and brown, worm-like creatures pictured below. “These are about three quarters to one inch long. What are they, and will they harm plants? Many thanks if you’re able to reply.” Upon zooming in on these critters, we can see that their bodies are segmented and that tiny antennae sprout from their heads. This fact, coupled with the shape of their bodies and the location in which they were found tells us that John has found millipedes.