If I were starving out there, I might be tempted to cook it."Īs for that stunning blue shimmer, many species of giant earthworms have iridescent skin, but its exact function remains something of a mystery. It seems like it is 90% muscle, 9% dirt, 1% nervous system. "It felt like a long, slimy, ridged muscle. "It had a surprisingly similar feel to the earthworms I dig up in my yard," recalls Torres. Just as its smaller cousins might do, the giant earthworm excreted a type of goo when handled. "Like teeny little legs helping them move along as they dig. What really surprised me was the size difference once you touch it! It expanded and contracted to about 30% of its size."Īnd touching the large worm revealed something else: slime. "Those bristles (called setae) on the underside were really quite thick and grippy," says Torres. Of course, like other earthworms, these giants spend their lives sucking down microbes and decaying plant or animal matter in the soil. The Latin name of one species – Martiodrilus crassus – actually translates to "worm that feeds on dogs".
Sometimes described as "boa constrictors in earthworm suits", these animals have been known to reach 1.5 metres (about 5ft) in length. "They live in a similar micro-habitat – in the earth. "We were out looking for these weird amphibians called caecilians, which actually look a heck of a lot like these giant earthworms," he explains.
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