Giant Gippsland Earthworm

The Giant Gippsland Earthworm is probably the largest earthworm in the world, reaching lengths of about one metre long.

They are found only in a small part of the state of Victoria in Australia.

They spend most of their lives underground. They make complicated burrow systems. They feed on roots and plant matter. It is not known how long they live, but it is not a long life.

Like other earthworms, Giant Gippsland Earthworms are hermaphrodites (say her-maff-row-die-ts). This means each worm has male parts that make sperm and female parts that produce eggs. Two worms twist around each other and pass sperm into each other's body. Then both worms produce fertilised eggs inside a brown egg capsule that is about the size of a wine cork. It takes about a year for the eggs to hatch.

Giant Gippsland Earthworms are classified as vulnerable, which means they may soon become endangered unless they are protected. Threats to the worm include a mixture of deadly pesticides that are used on the soil and which the worms absorb through their skins. This is because Gippsland is largely a farming area. Loss of habitat is another threat to the Giant Gippsland earthworm. People dig them out of the ground to collect them, and this destroys much of their burrow system. Handling of the earthworms kills them, and people are being discouraged from touching them.

Giant Gippsland Earthworms are now protected, and permits are required to research them. Landowners are being encouraged to protect places where they live.

It is not known how many of these huge worms are left.

Click here to find out more about the Giant Gippsland earthworm
http://thegreencommunity.org/giant_worms.html