Three meters long: where the largest earthworms in the world live

Australia, without a doubt, is a continent where the most unusual representatives of the animal world live. But three-meter earthworms are exotic even by Australian standards. Today we will talk about the longest and largest in the world form of earthworms - a giant gypsland.

The Latin name for this species of low-bristle worms is Megascolides australis, but it is more often called giant gypsland, since it lives exclusively in the Gipsland region in southeast Australia and is really huge.

The appearance of the giant gypsland is very reminiscent of the well-known earthworms, not for nothing that they are the closest relatives. But its dimensions simply amaze the imagination and make you doubt that it is really an earthworm. The usual length of a giant gipsland is 0.8-1.5 meters, but individuals of venerable age reach a length of 3 meters, while having a diameter of 2 to 5 centimeters.

Giant gypslands are very rare animals, and they can be found only in one single place, in the Bass River area in Victoria. Here they inhabit the upper layers of the soil on an area of ​​about 40,000 hectares. Despite the fact that in some places you can find up to 10 worms per 1 cubic meter of soil layer, giant gypsland due to its limited range have the status of an endangered species. If necessary, they can deepen to a distance of 1.5 meters from the surface. Giant gipsland, like the earthworms we know, feed on the plant debris that they find in the soil.

The relatively small number of giant gypsland is associated with the peculiarities of its reproduction. The fact is that this species reaches puberty at the age of 4-5 years. In addition, only one worm is born from a laid egg, and its development takes an entire year out of an egg. When a small giant gypsland just comes into being, it already has a length of 18 centimeters.

These earthworms are so huge that when they move underground in their moves, a characteristic noise is heard above. These worms very rarely appear on the surface, for example, disturbed by an unusual noise, but still some people manage to see them. And if you find yourself in this part of Australia and meet a 3-meter creature that crawls on the ground, then do not be scared, because this is not a snake, but just a harmless earthworm.

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