What's It Like To Be a Worm?

Imagine living underneath the soil with no arms or legs to move, ears to hear, or even lungs to breathe! In other words, imagine being an earthworm.

Earthworms are fascinating creatures. To move, they use muscles and little hair-like projections called “setae.” First, they grip the soil with their back setae, so their back body stays in place. Then they use their circular muscles, which make their body longer, to push the front of half of their body forward. After that, they grip the soil with their front setae and use their muscles to make their body shorter, which moves their back body forward.

Imagine scrunching up to move like this, but with almost no way to know where you’re going! Earthworms have no nose to smell. They don’t have ears either, although they do have a brain and nervous system that helps them detect vibrations. Earthworms have eyes, but they can’t see objects. Their eyes only detect whether it is light or dark.

Earthworms also don’t have lungs, but they still breathe like we do. How? They use mucus on their skin to absorb the air around them. Oxygen enters a worm’s circulatory system and is pumped through their body using their movement and their five -- yes, five! -- hearts. If a worm gets stuck out of the soil for too long and dries out, it will suffocate, which is why it is helpful for their eyes to detect light. They will avoid lighted areas to make sure they don’t dry out.

As worms move along, they push through the soil using the front of their mouths, which are strong and pointed. Without teeth, they eat organic matter in the soil that is already partially broken down by microorganisms, digesting it further using their stomach or “gizzard” and intestines. Worms are big eaters, and can eat their weight in food every day! Worm poop or “castings” is soil-colored and full of nutrients that plants can use, which is one reason why people love having worms in their gardens. Worm burrows also aerate the soil, allowing plant roots to have space to grow.

And while worms are incredible, it is a myth that cutting a worm in half will create two worms. They do have amazing healing abilities, though! If their body is cut after the segment containing their vital organs, the half with their head will grow a new tail and continue to live. The tail part may keep wiggling, but once the nerve cells die, it will not be able to grow into another worm.

Earthworms are found all around the world, living in any environment where it is relatively warm, moist, and full of organic matter to eat. There are about 3,000 species of worms!

Earthworm found in soil

Picture Source: dw.com