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What do earthworms eat? How do worms eat? Earthworms eat dirt! Their nutrition comes from things in soil, such as decaying roots and leaves. Animal manures are an important food source for earthworms. They eat living organisms such as nematodes, protozoans, rotifers, bacteria, fungi in soil. Worms will also feed on the decomposing remains of other animals. They don't have teeth but they have strong mouth muscles. Dew worms or nightcrawlers often surface at night to pull fallen leaves down into their burrow. When the leaf softens a little they pull off small bits to munch on. Worms also "swallow" soil as they burrow. How much do earthworms eat in one day? They can consume up to one third of their own body weight in a day. Do earthworms come to the surface after heavy rains to avoid drowning? Not exactly. Earthworms can survive for several weeks under water providing there is sufficient oxygen in the water to support them. They surface as a response to high relative humidity after rain because they can move around safely without drying out. How can I tell if there are earthworms in the soil? When trying to find evidence of earthworms, look at the soil surface first. Earthworms often leave small piles or pellets of soil on the surface. Dig a spadeful of soil and sort through it for earthworms. Experience will also allow you to find cocoons. Why do robins tug at earthworms in the soil? Why are some earthworms colored and others aren’t? What are some earthworm enemies? How do earthworms move? What happens when I cut an earthworm in half? Worms use the many tiny bristles or setae on each of their body rings to help them crawl as well as to anchor themselves firmly in their burrows. The robin has to tug because the worm is gripping the soil! Earthworms have colored skin for similar reason why people get tan, to protect them from the sun. Earthworms that feed on the surface often have dark backs to avoid damage from the suns harmful ultraviolet rays. If you look at a night crawler (Lumbricus terrestris) it has a dark head and a light tail which reflects the fact that when night crawlers feed they keep their tail stuck in the ground. Snakes, birds, moles, toads and even foxes are known to eat earthworms. Beetles, centipedes, leeches, slugs and flatworms also feed on earthworms. Some types of mites parasitize earthworm cocoons or the worms themselves. Earthworms have tiny stiff hairs (setae) on almost every segment, and these little hairs help the earthworm move. As earthworms stretch out and then contract their muscles the setae grab the soil and move the earthworm forward. The setae are visible under a microscope and their position on the body is used for identification. Most earthworms do not have the ability to regenerate into two worms when cut in half. However, if you cut the tail off an earthworm, the head section can still continue to live just fine. Some earthworms actually use this for defense and might drop their tail off in an attempt to avoid being eaten! Can earthworms see? Earthworms do not have eyes, so they cannot see like people do. However they can sense light through their skin which allows them to respond to light. How big can earthworms get? Earthworms can get to be very large! The largest earthworm in the world is the giant Gippsland earthworm from Australia. Although it is only 2 cm (<1 inch) wide it can be 3 meters (9 feet) long! In North America, the biggest earthworm is the giant Palouse earthworm from Washington and Idaho. It can grow to 1 meter (3 feet) long Why do earthworms come out of the ground when we pour on mustard? The oil from mustard seeds is a skin irritant for earthworms. When the mustard touches the earthworms they try to avoid it by crawling through their burrows, and since most of their burrows go up to the surface they crawl out. The mustard doesn’t kill the earthworms, it just gets them moving. If earthworms weren’t here originally, how did they get here? No one knows for sure, but it they most likely come over with the plants from Europe and Asia. When the people came to North America, they brought plants along, and those plants were often in soil, and that soil probably contained earthworms or cocoons! Can worms crawl forward and reverse? Yes. Even though worms can move both frontward and backward they tend to travel forward more. Why are worms slimy? Earthworms breathe through their skin. They need humid conditions to prevent drying out. How do earthworms breathe? They coat themselves in mucus, which enables dissolved oxygen to pass into their bloodstream. How are earthworms helpful? Earthworms are nature's little farmers in our fields and lawns. Earthworms "plow" and mix up the soil. Their tunneling loosens the soil so water and nutrients can go downward. The nutrients in worm castings enrich the soil. The slime they secrete contains nitrogen, an important nutrient for plants. What is an earthworm cocoon like? At first, the cocoon is quite soft. Soon after it is deposited in the soil it becomes slightly amber, leather-like, and very resistant to drying and damage. Cocoons are very tiny, and the shape of a lemon. They can survive underground until conditions are right for hatching. How long does it take earthworms to mature? Worms mature in 10 - 55 weeks, depending on the species.