Worm Facts for Kids

17 Worm Facts For Kids

1. Earthworm is the common name for land based invertebrate worm species in the Lumbricina order.
2. Earthworms can be identified by their elongated tube-shaped bodies with segments all long its body.
3. You can easily find earthworms after heavy rain, crawling around in the grass and/or on the sidewalk.
4. Earthworms and their common ancestors started to appear around 209 million years ago.
5. There are around 7,000 earthworm species living worldwide.
6. Earthworms are found on almost every continent, except for Antarctica.
7. The number of earthworms living right now is hard to comprehend, one acre of land can be home to more than one million earthworms.
8. Earthworms are omnivorous and eat both plant and meat matter.
9. The diet of an earthworm includes just about anything organic found in soil, both alive and dead.
10. Earthworms can consume 100% of their bodyweight in a single day.
11. The digestive system of earthworms runs through the entire length of its body.
12. The segments found along an earthworm can help you estimate how old it is.
13. Earthworms have both female and male reproductive parts and that makes them hermaphrodites.
14. Earthworms have a lifespan between one to two years but can live up to eight years in the right conditions.
15. The largest earthworm species is the African giant earthworm (Microchaetus rappi) with recorded specimens reaching 22 feet in length.
16. English naturalist Charles Darwin spent more than 40 years studying earthworms.
17. Earthworms are a common type of fishing bait used by recreational fishermen.

Worm Pictures

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then the below images will be helpful for your research on worms. Below are three pictures of worm species. These pictures should help you better understand the different types of worms found around the world.

A picture of earthworm in damp dirt.

A picture close up of an earthworm.

A picture of digestive system of the earthworm.