Beneath the stream banks of Victoria, Australia, lives an earthworm of extraordinary proportions. The giant Gippsland earthworm is the largest earthworm species in the world, stretching to over two metres and living up to a decade. Rare and protected, it’s a giant of the underground world.
What is the world’s biggest species of earthworm?
The largest earthworm species in the world is the giant Gippsland earthworm, native to a relatively small area in Victoria, Australia. It averages a metre in length, but can reach over two metres. They are made up of about 300 to 400 body segments.
But their body is able to expand and contract, which can make them look even larger than they actually are.
David Attenborough featured the giant Gippsland earthworm in his 2005 documentary Life in the Undergrowth, highlighting the creature as one of the world’s most extraordinary and rarest animals.
Where are giant Gippsland earthworms found?
Giant Gippsland earthworms live in the subsoil along stream banks in the Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia. It’s a relatively small area of under 100,000 acres and the earthworms aren’t found anywhere else in the world. Even within their range, they exist in disconnected colonies. They are a protected species in Victoria.
How long do they live?
Compared to other invertebrates, giant Gippsland earthworms have a relatively long life expectancy, reaching maturity at about five years and potentially living up to 10 years or more.
How do they breed?
Breeding in the warmer months, giant Gippsland earthworms lay egg capsules in their burrows, which hatch after about 12 months.
The sound of a giant Gippsland earthworm
The giant Gippsland earthworm produces a unique, gurgling sound, which sounds like a bath being drained. This sound is produced when the earthworm’s wet, slimy body moves through soil tunnels underground.
What’s the biggest individual earthworm ever found?
The largest individual earthworm ever recorded wasn’t a giant Gippsland earthworm – instead, it was an African giant earthworm found in South Africa, measuring a whopping 6.7 metres.
Top image: Giant Gippsland earthworm crawls through a tunnel. Credit: BBC Universal/Getty Images
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