How Long Is the World's Longest Earthworm? It Turns Out to Be the Most Valuable Animal on Earth

Earthworms are invertebrates with cylindrical bodies made up of more than 100 body segments. There are many species, with more than 2,500 known so far. Body length varies by species, and common earthworms measure 90—150 mm long. So, how long is the world's longest earthworm?

1. How long is the world's longest earthworm?

1. The world's longest earthworm is the giant earthworm, a huge caecilian subspecies that lives in South America. According to biologists, they may have existed as far back as the age of the dinosaurs. Although it is called by this name, it is only distantly related to earthworms.

2. The giant earthworm belongs to the phylum Chordata, class Amphibia, order Gymnophiona, family Caeciliidae. Earthworms belong to the phylum Annelida, class Oligochaeta, order Opisthopora, family Megascolecidae. The former is a chordate, while the latter is an invertebrate, and the two have no kinship.

3. The giant earthworm is said to reach a maximum length of more than 2 m, longer than an ordinary long snake. On July 19, 2014, a giant earthworm was found near the Sumaco volcano in Ecuador, measuring about 5 feet (around 1.5 m) long and weighing at least 1.12 pounds, similar in size to a snake.

4. Giant earthworms mainly live in the forests of South America, and traces of them are also found in the Australia region. Their average length is over 1 m, with a diameter of about 2 cm-4 cm and a weight of around 500-700 grams, and they live for more than 5 years.

2. Why is the earthworm said to be the most valuable animal on Earth?

As early as 1881, Darwin pointed out that earthworms are the most important animal group in the evolutionary history of the world and are organisms that symbolize whether soil quality is good or bad. If there are no earthworms in the soil, it means the soil has problems. That is why the earthworm is said to be the most valuable animal on Earth. What value does it have?

1. Loosening the soil and increasing oxygen: Earthworms breathe through their moist body walls, taking in oxygen from the soil. After heavy rain, rainwater pushes the oxygen out of the gaps in the soil, so oxygen decreases, making it impossible for earthworms to breathe, which causes them to crawl out of the ground one after another. In this process, earthworms can loosen the soil and increase the oxygen in it, which is good for root respiration and growth.

2. Increasing organic matter and improving soil structure: Earthworm feces are rich in inorganic salts such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, which can increase soil organic matter, improve soil structure, promote the conversion of acidic or alkaline soil into neutral soil, and increase fast-acting components such as phosphorus, making the soil suitable for crop growth.

3. Eating garbage and excreting fertilizer: Earthworms are omnivorous animals. Apart from not eating glass, plastic and rubber, they eat humus, animal feces, soil bacteria, fungi and the decomposition products of these substances, and they will not bite the roots of plants. Their daily food intake is equivalent to their own body weight, and about half is excreted as feces, which is very good fertilizer.

4. Changing the spatial distribution of soil organic matter: Earthworm activity can change the spatial distribution of soil organic matter, making soil organic matter distributed in patches, and can mix organic matter with mineral soil to form soil particles rich in organic matter. Its activity facilitates the downward movement of phosphorus, increasing the patchy distribution of phosphorus in the soil. Its activity consumes a large amount of soil microorganisms and increases the concentration of mineralized nitrogen in the soil.

The above is an introduction to the world's longest earthworm and its value. We hope it is useful to everyone.