How Long Do Worms Live? Interesting Facts You Didn't Know Before

Worms are a diverse group of distantly related species with a long cylindrical tube-like body, no limbs, and no eyes that are generally found in a garden.

Worms are classified into several groups, including flatworms, ribbon worms, spiny-headed worms, and others that eat other tiny bacterias present in the soil or a plant. They can be as small as 0.04 in (1 mm) for some nematodes and as large as 98.4 ft (30 m) for some ribbon worms.

Earthworms are typically 3-4 in (7.6-10.2 cm) long and some species can grow to be over 1 ft (30.5 cm) long. Around the world, there are more than 2,500 species of earthworms present with a life expectancy of four to eight years. The largest worm in the world known to man was measured at 22 ft (6.7 m) from its nose to the tip of its tail and was found in South Africa.

Worms, like all other animals and humans, experience pain. These animals also have a nervous system, which allows them to feel pain when they are injured or hurt. Earthworms can survive if their tail end is severed and their parts grow back, but they cannot stay alive if the front part of their body between the head and the saddle is severed because this is where their major organs are.

Continue reading this article for more information about baby worms and different worm species. After this, you may also look at other fun fact articles for children like how long do squirrels live and how long do ticks live.

How long do zombie worms live?

The life expectancy of an earthworm varies depending on the species, from the time they emerge from their respective cocoons to the day they die. Earthworms have a lifespan of up to four years. When worms die in the wastebasket, their bodies disintegrate and are recycled through other worms, along with scraps of food and compost. The night crawler that comes up to the surface at night in search of nutrients has been known to survive for up to 20 years and has a life span of six to nine years in normal temperatures. Gray worms, on the other hand, spend their entire life under the surface and once mature, live a life between one and two years long on average, while red worms live for anywhere between two and five years.

The Osedax worm (also called zombie worms), eats the strongest parts of a dead whale (dead whale bones) as its food instead of bacteria or plant matter. These extraordinary worms have no mouth or stomach and feed solely on the bones of dead animals, particularly whales. These microscopic organisms cling onto bones, burn acid into them, and choke the marrow out. These zombie worms, which are members of the Osedax genus, come in a variety of species.

These are technically close relatives of worms and they lack both a gut and a mouth, having to eat other bacterias to survive acidic and warm temperatures. Zombie worms can be found up to 13,000 ft (3,962.4 m) below the ocean's surface. They are also believed to be the world's longest-living vertebrates, with a life span of up to 500 years.

How long do worms live in captivity?

There is a significant difference in the lifespan of an earthworm living in their native environment versus those living in guarded cultures, such as in a wastebasket stored in the yard where temperatures vary. Earthworms come in over 2,500 different species, and they can live anywhere from four to eight years. Even though these crawlers have both male and female reproductive organs, they require a mate to reproduce.

Composting an earthworm in an open-air fertilizer pile may mean that it faces predation, an absence of moisture, freezing temperature in the winter, and a loss of habitat. Those who live in a worm basket face their own set of dangers, but overall, they live a more secure and stable existence for about three weeks to three months.

Earthworms are capable of replacing or replicating lost segments. This ability varies greatly depending on the earthworm species, the amount of damage done to the worm, and where it is cut. A worm's replacement of a lost tail may be simple, but replacing a lost head may be difficult or impossible if conditions are not ideal.

Contrary to popular belief, when an earthworm gets cut in half, it does not split into two new baby worms. If the animal is cut behind the clitellum, the earthworm's head may survive and regenerate its tail but the worm's original tail will not be able to grow a new head and will subsequently die after a few weeks.

How long do worms live in humans?

Earthworms live in an environment where there are vegetables and a comfortable temperature, especially in a garden. In 0.4 ha (1 acre) of land, there could be millions of worms. Worms are thought to be cold-blooded creatures yet a worm's skin is extremely sensitive, and if it becomes dry, the worm may perish in less than a week.

Parasites are thought to be present in the guts of approximately 80% of adults and kids. These parasites can infect people in a variety of ways. Parasites are microscopic organisms that lay eggs and feed on the skin of a living host. Numerous parasitic worms can live in a human, creating a risk of bacterial infection. A tapeworm resembles a long, white ribbon that can grow to be up to 80 ft (24.4 kg) long and can live in humans for up to 30 years.

Adult worms or their eggs can exist in human skin for up to 17 years and can continue producing new mycobacteria for much of that time. Most intestinal worms are cured on their own among people with strong immunity, while others might need to take additional precautionary measures. However, depending on the type of intestinal worm infection, antiparasitic medication or immediate treatment may be required to prevent further problems.

How long do worms live in poop?

Worms can be transmitted through small amounts of feces from people who have worm infections. Some are spread while eating whilst some are caught by touching surfaces or counters that had eggs on them. Earthworms in feces resemble small pieces of white cotton thread. Pinworms are difficult to see due to their small size and white color and, because it lives inside the intestine, the mealworm is rarely seen.

Adult earthworms can spend nearly one to two years in the small intestine. They can be as thick as a pencil and range in length from 5-14 in (12.7-35.6 cm). If several of the eggs that worms lay hatch, a person can have a large number of worms at the same time. In addition, each female worm can lay over 200,000 eggs each day, so they produce a lot of eggs in one day. When these eggs hatch and emerge through the feces, the earthworms begin their life span all over again.

Eating undercooked meat or eggs from an infected animal, such as a cow, pig, or fish, is one way to become infected with intestinal worms. The consumption of contaminated water or ingesting contaminated dirt are other possible causes of an intestinal worm infection.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for how long do worms live, then why not take a look at how long do bearded dragons live or earthworm facts?