Earthworms

What are they?

Earthworms - those friends of the farmer. There are many kinds of them, found in almost all parts of the world, where there is warm moist soil.

How do they live?

These help in the growth of plants. They mix up the soil, and loosen it up. They eat the decayed matter in the soil and excrete their wastes into the soil . This makes the soil fertile. They help aerate the soil. They also help in the natural cycle by providing food for the birds.

Their size can vary highly. Some are only a millimetre long, while some are around 3 metres. They have a smooth body, with rings. They have a reddish brown body ( not because they were under the mud! ), which is made of two tubes - the digestive tube ( inner ) and the body wall ( outer ). They are sensitive to light, heat and touch.

They move by lengthening the front part, and then pulling the hind part after the front part pushes away any soil in front. Bristles prevent the worm from slipping.

The worm has no lungs or gills, breathing through the skin. The skin is in contact with air between particles of soil. During rains, the space is filled water, forcing them to come up, or drown. If the surrounding is too dry, they die. The worms eat the plant matter in the soil.

Though an earthworm has both male and female parts, they must mate with another one. In this each one gives another a sperm to fertilize it's eggs. Then, the eggs are laid in a cuff, surrounding the earthworms body. This slides off, and the ends close. The cuff is made by the clitellum. In a few weeks, the egg hatches to give an earthworm.

The earthworms can also survive if they are cut into two parts - each one forming a new earthworm