Amazing Worm Facts:

 

• Charles Darwin, best known for his theory of evolution, studied worms for 38 years…he was fascinated by them. He even published a book on them in 1881 with his findings, just before he died. In this book he suggested earthworms are the most important creatures on Earth! 

 

• Red Wigglers are Worms Renowned for Use in Compost Bins
  The word “vermi” is Latin for worm. One pound of worms contains approximately 600 to 800 Red Wrigglers. Redworms not only consume organic waste at an incredible rate (1/2 of their body weight each day), they also leave behind natures ultimate plant growth enhancer…castings. Red wigglers enrich the nutrient content of whatever they consume as well as condition this organic matter to a fine soil amendment that resists leaching and packing while the time released nutrients are easily absorbed by plants. 

 

• Worms Will Become Paralyzed if Exposed to Light for Too Long
  Worms live in the dark, and are very sensitive to light. Worms do not have eyes, but can detect light through their skin. Worms will move away from light so that their skin stays moist. If worms are exposed to light for about an hour, they will become paralyzed and unable to burrow back into the darkness.

 

• Worms Breath Through Their Skin and Have No Lungs
  All living animals need oxygen. Worms cannot breath in through their mouth, and they don’t have a nose either. Instead of lungs, worms have a thin permeable skin through which oxygen in air passes through. The mucus on a worms skin helps to dissolve the oxygen. Therefore, worms need moisture. If a worms dries out, they suffocate. Likewise, if a worms environment is too moist, they drown.

 

• Worms Do Not Have Teeth
  Worms do not have teeth and cannot chew their food. They grind their food in their gizzard using muscle action and small bits of soil. Finely ground eggs shells will help them to digest their food.

 

• Worms Can Regenerate Some Segments of Their Body
  This is one of the most misunderstood worm facts. If you cut a worm in half, depending on where the cut is, it can regenerate lost segments.  If you cut a worm behind the clitella, then it may be able to regenerate it’s tail.

 

• Worms Are Cold Blooded and Have 5 Hearts
  Worms have 5 hearts located close to the head and before the clitella. Because worms are cold blooded, their can’t regulate their temperature like mammals can. This means their body temperature will be the same as their surroundings. Worms do not have a multi-chambered heart like mammals and reptiles do. Instead they have 5 single-chambered aortic arches (functions similar to a heart) which pumps blood through their body. The 5 hearts are close to the head of the worm.

 

• The Average Lifespan of A Worm Is About 2 Years, but They Can Live Up to as Long as 8 Years
  The life span expectancy of worms can vary widely depending on the species. In a protected and stable environment, some species of worms can live up to 4-8 years In the wild, worms have many predators. In general, the average life span of a composting worm is about 2 years.

 

• Worms Have Tiny Hairs on Each Segment
  Worms have tiny bristles, known as setae, on each segment.  The setae help it move through soil and allow the worm to grip the surrounding soil. The setae are very strong and formed from the same material that makes up our fingernails.

 

• Worms Are Hermaphrodite – Both Male and Female
  While worms possess both male and female sexual organs, a red wiggler cannot produce offspring alone.

 

• Adult Worms Have A Ring Called A Clitella
  An active worm breeder can be identified form their distinctive ring called a clitella band. You can identify adult breeding worms by their distinctive ring shaped band called a clitella. Worms mate by lining up their heads and attaching themselves together at the clitella. A cocoon is then formed at the clitellaband.

 

• Baby Worms Hatch From Cocoons
  Compost worm eggs / cocoons found in the worm bin. A mature Red Wiggler worm can produce 2-3 cocoons per week. Cocoons are small, lemon shaped and yellowish gold colored. For Red Wiggler worms, the hatchlings inside the cocoon can take up to 11 weeks to mature before they hatch. Each cocoon usually hatches 2 to 4 baby worms. Cocoons can be dormant for years until conditions are right. Did you know a worm colony can double in population every 60-90 days?

 

• Worms Digest Half of Their Body Weight on Average Each Day
  Worms are fast food processors, and can digest about half of their body weight each day. The average food waste from a family of 4 would need about 20,000 worms to process each day. A worms digestive system is a tube which runs straight from the front at the mouth and all the way to the rear. Find out what worms eat and what foods are bad for worms.

 

• There Are About 6,000 Different Kinds of Earthworms
  Worms are present on all continents except Antarctica. There are about 6,000 species of earthworm. Earthworms are an invasive species. Their introduction can alter many different variables in the soil ecosystem.

 

• Worms Are Older Than the Dinosaurs
  The first dinosaurs appeared around 231 million years ago in a time called the Mesozoic Era. Earthworms predate all vertebrates in general. And have been around for about 600 million years.

 

• Worms Are 90% Water
  Worms are 90% water. In comparison, humans are about 75% water.

 

• If Worms Eat Too Much Protein, They Can Appear Deformed
  One of the most intriguing worm facts is the phenomenon of protein poisoning (also known as sour crop).
 Source: The Squirm Firm. If worms eat too much protein, they can struggle to digest it. When this happens, the food in the worms intestines can start to ferment due to acidity. The build up of gasses can rupture the worms intestines, causing irreparable damage. This can leave the worms deformed, looking like a string of pearls. In most cases, this situation can be avoided by not overfeeding your worms.