Nature's soil aerators, earthworms (redworms) improve and condition the soil as they burrow in search of food.

Or...? Not all scientists agree that worms would drown if they stayed underground. Their theory is that worms can live underground in water for weeks, as long as there is sufficient oxygen in the water. They come out to mate or search out different types of food. The moist surface of the earth after a rain makes it possible for them to move over land, to new locations, without dehydrating.

By the Way... Giant South African earthworms ~ Microhaetus rappi ~ can grow to be up to 22 feet long. The largest are almost an inch in diameter. The Australian great Gippsland gurgling earthworm ~ Megascolides australis ~ makes sucking, gurgling noises as it digs.

Bucket of Worms. There are about 2,700 different kinds of earthworms. Over a million can be found in an acre of good soil.

Gourmet Worms?

An earthworm's entire body is covered with chemoreceptors, which are taste receptors. An earthworm also has five hearts.