Hide Yo Kids, Hide Yo Wife, There’s Giant Earthworms Out There!

Habitat: Different species range from Australia to Asia to South Africa and to South America
Status: depends on the species!

This truly terrifying creature really is the stuff of nightmares. There are several species of Giant Earthworm that span the world over, which makes this post even more spine-tingling. Obviously there’s nothing dangerous about these giant earthworms, it’s merely the fact that they’re well… giant earthworms. Gross. Totally gross.

There are giant earthworm species in several families depending on where the worm originates from. There’s a species in South and Central America (Glossoscolecidae) that reaches 2 meters in length. Then there’s the Giant Palouse Earthworm (Driloleirus americanus) of the Palouse region of Eastern Washington state that grows to 1 meter. Another big boy is the Giant Gippsland Earthworm (Megascolides australis) that can reach 3 meters in length.

The one giant worm that takes the cake, though, is a species in South Africa called Microchaetus rappi which has been recorded reaching lengths of 6.7 meters – that’s 22 feet long!!!

So seriously, hide yo kids and hide yo wife, because these giant earthworms do exist!