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Worms:10 Interesting Facts About These Amazing Creatures

There are over 7000 species of worms that are distantly related to bilateral animals. Unfortunately, out of the 7000 species of worms only 150 of them are widely distributed across the earth. Worms have moist and slimy skin with a tube-within-a-tube segmented body. These phenomenal creatures play an important role in the ecosystem. They mostly crawl at night and are majorly found in the soil, particularly during rainy days. Worms also help to improve the quality of the soil, like its ability to hold water, its nutrient content and its moisture.

Worms feed on any organic matter and dead plants, fruits, vegetables and any other microorganisms. Therefore, by the end of this article, we are going to be equipped with more knowledge about this incredible creature.

1. A worm has no arms, legs or eyes

A picture of a worm. Photo by on  

Worms have no eyes but they use their receptor cells located on their skin. These receptor cells are very sensitive to light and therefore they help the worm to sense light in front of them. Since they have no arms or legs, they use their long cylindrical tube-like body to wriggle and writhe into the soil. They have a moist and slimy body which enables them to move into very tight places.

2. If exposed to light they become paralyzed

worms. Photo by on  

Worms stay in the dark because when they expose their bodies to light, they become totally paralyzed. If they are exposed to the sunlight for about an hour their skin becomes very dry and when they do, they are unable to breathe. Their skin has several bio-molecules called sterol and tetraene just like human beings. Worms need to stay in moderate conditions so that they can continue to keep their skin moist.

3. They’re mostly hermaphrodites

Worms have the sex organs of both the male and the female, making them hermaphrodites. Even though they possess the two organs they cannot reproduce on their own, they require other worms’ help. They mostly mate after it has rained and the soil is still very moist. After copulating for almost 200 minutes, they proceed to lay eggs that are fertilized in the cocoon. Worms start mating as early as they are 90 days old.

4. Worms have more than one heart

Worms have five single-chambered aortic arches which pump blood and transport food, waste, and respiratory gases throughout the worm’s body. These five single- chambered aortic arches is simply a structure of the closed circulatory system which is similar to that of humans but they are not as complicated as ours because it is believed that their blood doesn’t have to be pumped to so many body parts.

5. Worms have no lungs and breath through their skin

For all animals to survive they need oxygen and one could be wondering how these animals get their oxygen yet they have no lungs or nose. Worms have a thin, permeable skin through which oxygen passes through. Their skin must always be moist to enable oxygen to pass into their bloodstream. The slimy mucus that the worms secrete helps to keep their skin moist. Therefore, worms need moderate environmental conditions in order to survive since an environment that is completely dry could lead to suffocation.

6. The adult worms have a ring called a clitella

If one wants to identify an adult worm, they are able to distinguish them through a ring-shaped band that they have called the clitella located close to their heads. The clitella are used when they are mating in that the worms join themselves together at the clitella for a few hours and after that, they proceed to lay eggs that are fertilized in the cocoon.

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7. Worms can regenerate lost segments of their body

They can be able to regenerate some segments of their bodies depending on the part which has been cut or the amount of damage to the worms. If you cut a worm just behind its clitella which is close to its head it can be able to regenerate its lost segments since its five pairs of hearts are located close to the head and before the clitella. It is believed that if you cut the worms in half, they became two worms. Unfortunately, this is not true because they might all die or the part consisting of the head may likely survive since it can regenerate the lost segments.

8. They have an average lifespan of 2-8 years

A picture of a worm. Photo by on  

The life span of worms depends on the species or the environment in which they live in. When the worms are in a nicely protected environment away from predators, they can live up to 4-8 years, but when they are in the wild the worms are always preyed on by birds, snakes, toads and other invertebrates. Worms consisting of a vermicomposting system have a lifespan of 2 years. They die due to problems such as high temperatures, lack of air, too much or little moisture and little or too much food.

9. Worms have tiny hairs on each segment

A tomato fruit worm. , , via Wikimedia Commons

On each segment of the worm’s body, there are tiny hairs sticking out of their skin called the setae. The setae help the worms to move around in the soil and enable them to hold unto the surrounding soil thus preventing the worms from slipping backwards. An interesting fact about the setae is that they are very powerful and are created from the very same substance that forms our fingernails.

10. Worms are predisposed to protein poisoning

When worms feed on too much protein they can struggle to digest it and when this happens it causes fermentation due to increase in acidity. The calciferous glands in the worms are unable to produce enough calcium that is able to wipe out the acidity. Therefore, the increase of gasses can split their intestines, leaving them deformed, looking like a strand of pearls.

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