UK's Biggest Earthworm

A Scottish island is home to the UK’s largest earthworms, researchers from the University of Central Lancashire in Preston have claimed.

18:33 20 January 2016

Earthworms called Lumbricus terrestris are more than three times the weight and length of the average earthworms. They can be found on Rum, a Scottish island, which boasts fertile soil and lack of predators. The island’s optimum conditions make it possible for the worms to live up to 10 years, a significantly longer time when compared to the lifespan of other worms elsewhere, which is just about two years.

 

Kevin Butt, professor at the University of Central Lancashire who led the study, said: "I first noticed the large worm burrows in 2005, so I had my suspicions that there may be some pretty big worms in the area.

 

"We went back out to investigate this the following year and finding worms of this size was very exciting, especially when the Natural History Museum team confirmed that they had no specimens like this."

 

He added: "There are still unanswered questions and we plan to continue our research to find out as much as possible about these creatures.

"We're also looking forward to exploring more rural areas in the UK and abroad, in the hope that we will make more exciting discoveries like this."