From hunter spiders and saltwater crocodiles to olive pythons and snake-eating frogs, Australia is undoubtedly home to some of the world's most fearsome creatures. The gippsland earthworm megascolides australis are the largest earthworms found in the world, found on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria Province. This giant Gippsland earthworm has a beautiful complexion, the first 1/3 is dark purple, the back part is pink to gray, and the Gippsland giant earthworm is a unique native animal that only exists in Australia and is an endangered species. This species lives in deep underground caves, so it is usually difficult to see.
Biologist Beverley D. Van Praagh shows an adult giant earthworm.
The giant Gippsland earthworm may look scary, but it is actually a threatened species whose biggest enemy is humans.
Giant earthworms pose no threat to humans, and anthropogenic pollution has endangered the species.
Fortunately for those who discovered the giant Gippsland earthworm in 1878, the species was harmless to humans — no matter how scary it may seem.
This animal mates underground to avoid predators.
Usually they move slowly, but when they move quickly through the cave they make a creaking sound, like the sound of a pool draining water, so they can be detected by people nearby.
In 1878, railroad workers in the Gippsland region of Victoria first discovered this strange beast. During a routine investigation of a railway line there, the staff spotted it and initially mistook it for a snake. However, it soon became clear that this was another matter.
Giant earthworms are already a foot long at birth.
This earthworm is born a foot long, grows about half a foot a year, and has an average lifespan of ten years.