Smart! (more on this later)Īmong the earthworms that cut themselves which are commonly used for vermicomposting are the worms Eisenia Andrei (a close relative of the Tiger worm or Brandling worm, the Eisenia fetida) and the Aporrectodea caliginosa (The Grey Worm). The broken tail would twist and struggle until there is no more energy, and there would be enough time for the front part to escape.īut, there are even studies to show that earthworms do this to get rid of pathogens built up in certain areas of their body. Specifically, when earthworms are in danger, they cut off a small part of the tail from the body. This phenomenon is called natural amputation or autotomy. However, it is not uncommon for many wild species to self-cut to protect themselves. Generally, artificially bred earthworms do not actively cut themselves to escape. Does an earthworm cut itself ? It’s a way of self-defense.Įarthworms are different from geckos. It’s not just the location of the worms cut either, the probability of recovery also depends on the age, species and health of the earthworm ( 1). When regenerating, with a serious injury, the earthworm needs a lot of energy to grow these organs back, and there is a high probability that the tail would die without being able to replenish this energy. Strictly speaking, as most of the important organs of earthworms, such as the annulus, are close to the head, the regenerative ability of the front two-thirds of the worm is much stronger than that of the rear part.įor instance, if you cut an earthworm exactly in half, it is more likely that the part near the head can be grown back into a complete earthworm, while the rear part would die. So, can an earthworm really regenerate after being cut or cut in half? Not necessarily. If you chop the earthworm into multiple pieces, then there is almost certainly no way it will survive, let alone have it grow back and regenerate. It’s true that earthworms have certain self-healing and regenerative capabilities, but there are also some limitations. Obviously, this is wrong and a bit of an urban myth.Įarthworms are certainly not like how a starfish can grow back its tentacle or a gecko can grow back its tail after they’re cut off. Since I was young, people told me that after cutting a few segments of an earthworm, each segment would grow into a new earthworm. But can worms regenerate completely after being cut? Can they cut themselves as a defence mechanism? Earthworms have some regenerative abilities.
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