Giant Gippsland Earthworms: Nature's Hidden Giants

Introduction: Today’s Rabbit Hole

Ok, sooo in today’s rabbit hole, I’m looking at Giant Gippsland earthworms. Now, I’ve seen videos of big worms in the past and thought they were neat but didn’t really think to look into them until today when I was looking for animals to write about. For some reason, I was just like, "Worms. Yep, worms are good." Now, I don’t completely understand why I decided on worms, but I did, and now you guys have to deal with it. Unless, of course, you just clicked out. "Frig, crap, booty butt cheek! I didn’t think of that. Frig, meh, they probably won’t either."

Discovering the Giant Gippsland Earthworm

Anyway, so now you have to deal with it, and I was just thinking of a normal worm until I stumbled across these beauties—the Giant Gippsland earthworm. These giant earthworms average 1 metre (3.3 ft) long. That's also roughly 12.5 normal earthworms long and 2 centimetres (0.79 in) in diameter. Just to disturb you a bit, that's a similar diameter to a hot dog, and they can reach up to 3 metres (9.8 ft) in length—that's roughly 37.5 normal earthworms long. However, their body is able to expand and contract, making them appear much larger. On average, they weigh about 200 grams (0.44 lb)—that's roughly the weight of 54 normal earthworms. They live in the subsoil of blue, grey, or red clay soils along stream banks and on some south- or west-facing hills of their remaining habitat, which is in Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. These worms live in deep burrow systems and require water in their environment to respire.

Fun Fact: Lifespan and Pet Thoughts

Another neat fact: they can live up to 5 years! That's kinda crazy. Maybe I should invest in one as a pet. I've always wanted a snake; maybe this could be a good substitute. Unfortunately, snakes and worms are a bit different. Even though these worms can get bigger than many types of snakes, a snake is a vertebrate, meaning that it has a spine. A worm is an invertebrate, meaning that it has no spine. So, I probably won't be substituting a worm for a snake. "Cough, stupid friggin' nerds ruining my plans on the internet, cough cough."

Why They Can’t Be Pets: Conservation Status

Anyway, there are other reasons I wouldn't want one as a pet, like the fact that they're threatened. Gippsland earthworm colonies are small and isolated, and the species' low reproductive rates and slow maturation make those small populations vulnerable. The Giant Gippsland Earthworm is listed as Vulnerable under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 and as Threatened under the Victorian Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988. So that's another reason I probably shouldn't get one as a pet. "Life is just so unfair."

Diet and Sounds

Onto a happier note, they eat organic matter as well as bacteria and fungi, which may have allowed them to better adapt to the change from a forest to pasture living area. They are usually very sluggish, but when they move rapidly through their burrows, it can cause an audible gurgling or sucking sound, which allows them to be detected.

Now that's just kinda funny that they make weird noises! Imagine you're a Giant Gippsland earthworm, and you're playing tag with your friend, and all you hear as they are chasing you is weird gurgling noises. "Maybe my uncle had a pet Giant Gippsland earthworm... I always heard weird noises like that coming from his room. It's nice to finally have answers."

How They Eat

Now, I'm sure you're wondering.... how they eat. Now that you know what their diet is, you obviously want to know how they eat. The giant earthworm burrows through relatively firm soil up to 5 feet deep, using its muscular head to chew through the substrate while ingesting fungi, bacteria, algae, and other microbes. They don't have teeth, but they do have a gizzard, where small rocks that the worm has eaten help grind up food. It's actually really cool. I think it would be funny if they had teeth, but I guess rocks are more practical.

Conclusion: Rarely Seen but Fascinating

Also, something I've just found out—they are rarely seen due to their underground life cycle but sometimes can be heard as they move beneath the ground. That's just sad—I may never get to see them in person, but I guess I have pictures. Anyway, I think that's gonna wrap it up for today. I hope you enjoyed me rambling about worms for a while. If you did, maybe you'll enjoy my post on maned wolves. I won't say too much, but... long legs, man. Really long legs.

Alright, see you next time!

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