![]() The ventral blood vessel is the front blood vessel.An earthworm has five aortic arches that together function as a heart and circulate blood through its body. The lateral heart is a blood-pumping system.The seminal vesicles are small hollow organs that carry sperm.The dorsal blood vessel is located at the back of the body.The nephridium serves as a kidney-like organ.The seminal receptacle is a pocket containing semen.The ventral nerve cord is a group of nerves in the abdomen.The gizzard serves as the stomach of an earthworm.The crop is where the food is stored and softened.The esophagus is the tube that connects the pharynx to the crop of an earthworm.The pharynx is the muscular throat that pushes food down into the esophagus. ![]() The mouth cavity is the opening for the digestive tract that helps obtain nutrients from the soil.These are some of the internal parts that can be found in an earthworm:.They crunch it up in their muscular stomach, digest what they can (organic matter mixed with mineral fragments), and then eject the rest. Earthworms, unlike many other animals, eat the soil.They don’t split into two new worms, contrary to what some believe. When an earthworm loses one end of its body, it can grow another, but when it is cut in half, it dies.Earthworms can carry up to 20 eggs in a cocoon that can withstand adverse environmental conditions, but only one worm generally emerges.To share genetic information, they need to mate with another worm. However, they cannot fertilize themselves. Earthworms are hermaphrodites, which means they possess both male and female sex organs.The sun’s ultraviolet radiation is lethal to the thin-skinned earthworm, so they can only be found on the surface in dull, wet weather.Key Facts & Information Amazing Earthworm Facts See the fact file below for more information on Earthworms, or alternatively, you can download our 22-page Earthworm worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment. Earthworms can be found in nearly every type of soil on the planet, as long as the moisture and organic content are adequate. Download the Earthworm Facts & WorksheetsĮarthworms are small, soil-dwelling invertebrates sensitive to the pH, waterlogging, compaction, rotation, tillage, and organic matter, all of which are good biological indicators of soil health.These farms can then act as demonstration sites that other landowners can visit to learn about how to encourage new colonies of the huge worms on their own farms. The project is looking for more farmers to take part in trials of different revegetation techniques to see what plant species are best suited to housing giant Gippsland earthworms. Participants also visited one of the giant Gippsland earthworm colonies near the farm, where “the worms were quite active with lots of gurgling and squelching noises, much to the delight of those present,” according to the website. The first Giant Gippsland Earthworm Information Session and Field Day was held in September, and organizers say it was a success.Īt the event, which was hosted by a local dairy farm, a biologist discussed the history, biology, and habitat requirements of the worms. ( Learn more about sustainable agriculture.) The worms’ burrowing and feeding activity helps keep plants healthy, improve drainage, and stabilize soil structure, all of which contributes to more productive farms.įor instance, in 2013, a local organization called the South Gippsland Landcare Network was awarded a grant from the Australian government to work with local farmers to try innovative revegetation designs that help protect the soil moisture of giant Gippsland earthworm habitat. It’s a win-win: Earthworms get a home, and the farms’ soil quality is improved. To bring the worm back, the government is encouraging Gippsland farmers to create worm-friendly habitat on their land. Now, most colonies of giant Gippsland earthworms are found only under small, isolated patches of vegetation on privately owned farms, and the species is considered vulnerable to extinction by the Australian government. The forests disappeared in the 19th century, when the first Europeans settled Australia and chopped down forests to make room for pasture and farmland.
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