Backyard Biology - Earthworm (Lumbricus terrestris)

An earthworm. What more can I say? If you hadn't seen an earthworm up until this point then you must live with your head buried in the ground... oh wait. Anyways, earthworms are more formally addressed as Lumbricus terrestris and belong to the phylum Annelida.They burrow through the ground and feed on edible particles within the soil. They are a very important species because they aerate and mix the soil which is of aid to plants. They are also an important food source for numerous birds.

Earthworms move by attaching themselves to the soil with miniature bristles and contracting their bodies to produce the proper motion which propels them forward. They also secrete mucus which acts as a lubricant to help with the whole process.

You might have seen earthworms coming up after a rainstorm by the bucketload. This behavior is most likely due to the worms trying to escape drowning as their burrows are flooded.

This specific one in my hand is strangely discolored. I think it may be due to its food, but I'm not sure. If you think you may know, don't hesitate to drop a comment.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Backyard
• biology
• earthworm
• Lumbricus
• terrestris
• evolution

[steffst]

L. terrestris come up at night to get "fresh" dead plants and to mate. Their head is brown\dark red and gets paler further back with a dark line going all the way to its clearly flat tail. I doubt that the one you've got there is one of them. Not that it matters, they're all awesome :P

[thetoughguy7]

i think these things are yucky =_=