10 Interesting Facts about Worms

One of these following facts about worms is definitely going to show you how worms live and what they eat and also other interesting information. Worms (plural) are refer to obsolete taxon (vermes) for all  non-arthropod invertebrate animals and stems from the Old English word “wyrm”. Currently it is used to describe many different distantly related animals that typically have a long cylindrical tube-like body and no legs. To get to know more about this animal, here are some other facts about worms you may like to know better.

Facts about worms 1: Terms

Historical English-speaking cultures have used the (now deprecated) terms “worm”, or “wyrm” to describe carnivorous reptiles (“serpents”), and the related mythical beasts dragons. The term worm can also be used as an insult or pejorative term used towards people to describe a cowardly or weak individual or individual seen as pitiable.

Facts about worms 2: Types

Various types of worm occupy a small variety of parasitic niches, living inside the bodies of other animals. Free-living worm species may live on land, in marine or freshwater environments, or burrow.

Facts about worms 3: Habitat

Worms live in almost all parts of the world including marine, freshwater, and terrestrial habitats. Some worms living in the ground help to condition the soil. Many thrive as parasites of plants and animals, including humans.

Facts about worms 4: Ecology

Several other worms may be free-living, or nonparasitic. There are worms that live in freshwater, seawater and even on the seashore. Ecologically, worms form an important link in the food chains in virtually all the ecosystems of the world.

Facts about worms 5: Classification

In everyday language, the term worm is also applied to various other living forms such as larvae, insects, centipedes, or even vertebrates such as blindworms and caecilians. Worms can be divided into several groups, but are still technically decomposers.

Facts about worms 6: Earthworm

To most people the most familiar worms are the earthworms, members of phylum Annelida. Earthworms in general have been around for 120 million years. They enrich and aerate the soil.

Facts about worms 7: Helminths

Worms may also be called helminths, particularly in medical terminology when referring to parasitic worms, especially the Nematoda (roundworms) and Cestoda (tapeworms).

Facts about worms 8: Characteristic

Some species of earthworms have a tongue-like lobe above the mouth called prostomium. The prostomium is actually a sensory device. Earthworms do not have a nose, eyes, ears, or hands to gather sensory information about their environment.

Facts about worms 9: Hermaphroditism

Some worms reproduce sexually. Hermaphroditism, the condition in which a single individual possesses both male and female reproductive parts, is common in many groups of worms.

Facts about worms 10: Abilities

Worm species differ in their abilities to move about on their own. Many species have bodies with no major muscles, and cannot move on their own—they must be moved by forces or other animals in their environment. Many other species have bodies with major muscles and can move on their own; they are a type of muscular hydrostat.

Hope you found these worms facts really interesting and useful for your knowledge and research.