Worms surround a person: they are in the ground, found in spoiled food, water, even inside the body (we are talking about helminths). Of course, they can hardly be called pleasant creatures of wildlife, they cause disgust by the mere sight of their bodies covered with mucus. Meanwhile, among them there are many amazing creatures - real champions. We offer you to get acquainted with the largest worms of our planet.
Giants from Australia
Australian earthworms are considered real giants, their average body length is 70-80 cm, but there are cases when these creatures, under favorable conditions, stretched up to 3 meters! There is very little information about these creatures, as they are rare and now on the verge of extinction. Here are just some facts from the life of the largest earthworms:
- The organic matter in the soil is used for food, but when there is a shortage, it can crawl to the surface and absorb the roots and leaves of plants.
- Whenwhen moving, they make characteristic chomping sounds.
- Prefer to live in clay soil in close proximity to bodies of water, inhabiting a very small area in the Australian state of Victoria. The range of giant worms is no more than 1000 sq. km.
- Burrows and passages are hidden underground at a depth of about 13-15 cm.
- Often found in places where there was a landslide.
Now the eucalyptus forests of the southern mainland are being actively cut down, which affects the number of animals, which is declining. The giants of the world of worms are getting smaller. The largest earthworm in the world is no exception, but it is interesting that its record has also been broken, there are larger individuals, although they are not earthworms. Below they will be discussed separately.
Lineus
A large number of large animals live at the bottom of the seas and oceans. Among them can be attributed the representative of nemerteans, lineus. This is indeed the largest worm: its body length reaches 60 meters, although more modest specimens are most often found, up to 30-40 meters. They were discovered in 1770, but described in detail almost 40 years later. Features of their appearance and lifestyle are as follows:
- Body diameter - only 1 cm.
- Are scavengers or predators. Small crustaceans and small worms are captured with a special proboscis.
- Movement is carried out by muscular contraction.
- Life expectancy - up to 10 years.
These giants live in the seas in the northwestEurope, are found near the islands of Britain, as well as along the coast of Norway.
Amazing Facts
Let's look at some weird facts about lineus:
- These worms are almost twice as long as the largest mammal, the blue whale.
- In the absence of other food, they begin to eat themselves. But when favorable conditions return, they quickly gain their previous size.
- The color can be either gray-brown or brown, with age the worms become brown-red.
These are the largest worms known to science. But there are also such creatures, the very existence of which is in question, we will talk about them a little lower.
Giant Brazilian worm
This semi-mythical creature is also called minhochao, it is believed that until the beginning of the last century it lived in Brazil. According to the description that has come down to us, this creature reached 45 meters in length, and its body was covered with a powerful shell. The indigenous people were sure that this largest worm had the ability to uproot tall trees and change the course of rivers.
The legend of the Brazilian Indians says that the minhochao, or mboi-tata, is a giant snake that managed to survive the flood by hiding in a cave. Due to the long stay underground, the worm became blind. Many years later, suffering from hunger, the monster began to get to the surface and hunt people. Of course, this is nothing more than a legend, but there is also some evidence that minhochao could exist inreality.
Pros and cons
Inhabitants of the 19th century sometimes met with a giant worm, about which notes and memories have been preserved. In particular, in 1847, the journal Science published an article on minhochao. An eyewitness described the worm as a giant covered with scales, with a body length of more than 20 meters. Peculiar tentacles came out of its mouth, which the creature used to obtain food (which is very similar to the proboscis of the previously described lineus).
In addition, the zoologist F. Muller, referring to eyewitness accounts, described the giant in a scientific article. According to this material, the minhochao really existed, it attacked livestock and people, dragging them under water, and broke human buildings. This version is supported by the fact that all references to the giant came from the same areas - the Padre Aranda and Feia lakes, the Rio dos Piloles river. In addition, there is not so much evidence, which suggests that not those who craved fame, but really real eyewitnesses, turned to the scientist. However, the scientist himself did not see either the worm itself or its body, which gives the right to doubt.
Computer
It's interesting that the world of wildlife is transferred to the space of computer games, and that's how the biggest worm appeared in Slitherio, which has nothing to do with reality. The purpose of this simple game is to feed the worm, which helps it to grow and develop. The player must direct the character crawling across the field to food, while trying not to crash into other worms. The figure shows how thislooks.
Here the giant worm is absolutely harmless and quite pretty. The game takes place online, so completely strangers from all over the world can become opponents, which only adds to the action of interest.
Helminths
Consider the biggest worms in man. They can get inside through contaminated food, such as meat or fish, not thermally processed. In addition, the danger lurks in water, unwashed fruits and vegetables. It is also dangerous not to wash your hands before eating. So, the giant parasites that can live in the human intestines include:
- Wide tapeworm (this helminth reaches 10-15 meters in length, but a case of extracting a parasite 17 meters long has also been recorded).
- Beef tapeworm (enters the body along with poorly cooked meat and can grow up to 12 meters. Able to live inside its owner for more than 20 years, poisoning it from the inside and causing a decrease in immunity).
- Pork tapeworm (up to 4-5 meters).
Worms can cause intestinal obstruction and death, so they should be de alt with. People who work with raw meat are at risk, which is why they should make every effort to timely prevention.
Inhabitants of Africa and Asia may become victims of another giant parasite, the Guinean worm, which can grow up to 80 cm. It enters with poorly purified water, after which it attacks the subcutaneous layer, where it beginsevolve.
These are the champions of the world of worms. They are very diverse, not always pleasant, often harmful, but very interesting from the point of view of nature.
