How Earthworms breathe?
If they don’t surface, they will suffocate and die because the heavy water content of the soil after rain doesn’t allow gases to diffuse across their skin.
Even though earthworms need to breathe, they have no lungs. They acquire oxygen through their skin. This is why earthworms surface after heavy rains, despite the fact that it is extremely hazardous for them to do so.
If they don’t surface, they will suffocate and die because the heavy water content of the soil after rain doesn’t allow gases to diffuse across their skin.
Earthworms are a source of food for numerous animals, like birds, rats, and toads, and are frequently used in residential composting and as bait in commercial and recreational fishing. Their numbers are strong throughout their range—they’re even considered agricultural pests in some areas—and they have no special status.
The Largest Earthworm
Named ‘Dave’ by its discoverers in the United Kingdom, it is 15.75 inches long and weighs as much as a small chocolate bar. Its size is unusual because earthworms have many predators and normally do not survive in the wild to reach Dave’s size.
