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Sticker of Giant Gippsland earthworm
Bug card No. 0571 of 1,500

Giant Gippsland earthworm

Megascolides australis
Eats: Leftovers and dead thingsSnails, slugs and wormsGardens and meadowsNo legsNot an insect, but a bug cousin

The giant Gippsland earthworm is one of the biggest worms in the world. It is usually about 1 metre long, and some grow to 3 metres. It has a dark purple head and a blue-grey body, and it lives deep underground in one small part of Australia.

Fun fact: this one is not an insect at all, it has no legs! But kids find it on every bug hunt, so it lives in Bug Wiki too.
Lives in
Only Gippsland in Victoria, Australia, in wet clay soil near streams
Length
1 to 3 m (39 to 118 in)
Top speed
about 0.09 km/h (0.06 mph)
On foot, estimate
Can it hurt you?
Harmless
Harmless. It almost never comes out of its burrow, and it is rare, so it should be left in peace.
What does it eat?
It eats bits of dead plants in the soil, along with tiny bacteria and fungi.
For real!Photo of Giant Gippsland earthworm
Picture by Arthur Bartholomew (1833—1903). Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

How big is it?

How long is it?

Giant Gippsland earthworm about 3 m long (118 in)A banana about 18 cm (7.1 in)A house cat about 50 cm (20 in)A dog about 1 m (39 in)
as long as 17 bananas end to endcould run across a dinner table in 40 seconds

How big is Giant Gippsland earthworm compared to YOU?

Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.

How fast is it?

cool stuff

Fun facts

1

When it moves quickly through its burrow, it makes a gurgling, sucking sound that people can hear.

2

Its eggs are 4 to 7 centimetres long. When a baby hatches a year later, it is already about 20 centimetres long.

3

It takes about 5 years to grow up, which is a very long time for a worm.

4

Its body has 300 to 400 rings, and it weighs about 200 grams.

5

A town in Gippsland holds a yearly Karmai Festival for it. Karmai is its old name in the Boonwurrung language.

you asked

Most asked questions about Giant Gippsland earthworm

?How big is the giant Gippsland earthworm?

Usually about 1 metre long and 2 centimetres thick, but some reach 3 metres.

?Where does the giant Gippsland earthworm live?

Only in Gippsland in Victoria, Australia, deep in wet clay soil.

?Is the giant Gippsland earthworm endangered?

Yes, it is threatened. It lives in small groups, grows slowly and has few babies.

For bug experts

Scientific name
Megascolides australis
Group
Snails, slugs and worms
Family
Megascolecidae
Classification
Clitellata > Opisthopora > Megascolecidae
Lives on
Australia and Oceania

Where the facts come from

  1. Giant Gippsland earthworm (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
  2. Picture by Arthur Bartholomew (1833—1903). Public domain, Wikimedia Commons. The round sticker of this bug is cut from the same picture.

If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

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