UK Edition
Massive earthworm called Dave wriggles his way into record books
An enormous earthworm found by a Cheshire gardener has wriggled its way into the record books.
The unusually long annelid, which has been christened Dave, measures 40cm (15.7 in), making it the largest earthworm ever found in the UK, the Press Association (PA) reports.
Gardener Paul Rees, from Widnes, spotted the monster Lumbricus terrestris when it surfaced in his vegetable patch. His stepson George named the worm Dave.
Dave’s size, at three times longer and more than five times heavier than an average worm, has perplexed experts.
The Natural History Museum (NHM) said the earthworm has grown to the size of a small snake and weighs a hefty 26g, or just under 1oz.
They speculate that some particularly nutritious soil could be the main reason the worm has grown so big.
Emma Sherlock, an NHM scientist and chairman of the Earthworm Society of Britain, said she was ‘bowled over’ by the size of the worm.
“Not only is it really long, it is almost twice as heavy as any other wild earthworm ever seen, weighing the same as a small chocolate bar,” she said.
“With worms this size Paul must have an incredibly fertile and well-drained veg plot with decaying matter quickly recycled back into the soil. Earthworms are incredibly important to keep soils healthy.
“I look forward to seeing if anyone can find an even bigger example by taking part in the Earthworm Watch survey this autumn.”
The UK’s previous largest earthworms were discovered in the Scottish island of Rum in January, where they grow to a similar size.
Kevin Butt, professor at the University of Central Lancashire, 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.”
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