Worms are one of the oldest inhabitants of our amazing planet. Their fossils are found in ancient sediments. They can be both useful and harmful, and most people simply cause disgust and even fear. Zoological science divides these animals into several large types, and in our article the largest worms in the world will be presented. Consider the largest individuals of each type that live in wildlife, as well as parasitize in animal organisms.
1
Hairy / Nematomorpha
We begin our review on thebiggest.ru with parasitic invertebrates that appeared on the planet about 50–40 million years ago. The hairs grow from 30 to 40 cm, while their thickness is 3-4 mm.
Today, the scientific community knows more than 320 species, which are divided into 2 large classes. The first class is planktonic worms that live on the surface of the seas. And the second class is freshwater worms that parasitize on insects and spiders. Interestingly, parasitizing, they can control the will of the owner. By the way, there is an interesting article on our site about the consequences of the development of such parasitism.
There are legends that hairs can penetrate the skin through a person and cause irreparable harm to health. But this is a myth. During bathing, you can swallow a cyst or an adult, but they do not take root in the human body and die immediately.
2
Roundworms
This type of worms is also called nematodes, and many of their representatives are parasitic in the human body and other animals. They can be localized in all organs and tissues, but most affect the digestive tract.
✅ Human roundworm / Ascaris lumbricoides
The largest worms in the human body, growing up to 40 cm. The parasitic roundworm lives in the small intestine, and can cause a dangerous disease of ascariasis.
It does not attach in the body, but constantly moves towards the food masses. Of all the senses, ascarids develop only tactile tubercles. Such papillomas are located at the mouth.
Large white worms do not change their host during the life cycle and, in addition to the intestines, can affect other organs of the person. Ascaris eggs enter the body with unwashed fruits, vegetables, and they can also be transferred to food flies.
✅ Pork Ascaris / Ascaris suum
The body of pork roundworm, very similar to the human, has a cylindrical shape with pointed ends. Females grow up to 40 cm, but males are slightly smaller - only 25 cm.
To distinguish a female from a male is quite simple, because in males the rear extremity of the body is bent to the abdominal cavity. Females have a small annular groove on their body. The German zoologist and pastor Johann Augustus Ephraim Goetze first described the new species of parasites in 1782.
Already from the name it is clear that these parasites affect mainly pigs. They can live in the body of cattle, horses, but the full life cycle occurs only in pigs and in the human body.
✅ Ascaris dogs / Toxocara canis
Large dioecious helminths found in dogs, foxes, as well as in humans, cause toxocariasis, therefore, are considered one of the most dangerous parasites.
They grow from 7 to 18 cm, and settle in the small intestine and stomach of dogs. Because of this, the name Dog roundworm is still used in scientific circulation. Adults live from 4 to 6 months, and on average up to 60% of dogs, mainly young puppies, are infected with toxocariasis.
Once in the human body, such worms die, but in rodents, pigs, the life cycle continues, and they act as reservoir hosts for canine roundworms.
3
Annelids
One of the most famous representatives of this type are earthworms. They live on all continents except Antarctica, and the largest earthworms are found on the "Green Continent".
In the photo: Giant Australian earthworm.
✅ Megascolides australis
The Australian giant earthworm was discovered and described in 1878 by the British paleontologist Frederick McCoy in Victoria.
Adult individuals reach a length of 80 cm and a diameter of 3 cm. Some species reach 3 m, but it is rather difficult to meet such specimens. Found only in a small region of the Bass Valley in the south of Gipsland. Like most worms are hermaphrodites. Puberty occurs in the fifth year of life.
Megascolides australis feeds on plant roots and detritus. Under the ground, such giants build complex systems of moves, where they spend their whole lives. Refers to an endangered species. This species, albeit gigantic, but can not always adapt to environmental changes, and often dies.
🏆 record holders
Large underground worms are found on other continents. According to unconfirmed reports, worms longer than 3 meters are found in the open spaces of New Zealand. In addition, they glow in the dark.
In 1967, the largest earthworm was discovered in southern Africa, the length of which was 6.5 m. Favorable weather conditions contribute to the growth of the worms. Large individuals were found in China, in the province of Sipun. Chinese specimens reached 1.5 m in length.
Individuals up to half a meter long were found in Russia. Long worms were found in the North Caucasus and the Urals. Russians usually use smaller representatives for fishing.
4
Tapeworms
Ribbons belong to a large class of flatworms parasitizing in the body of vertebrates. The body of tapeworms consists of a large number of metamers, individual segments of the same structure. To date, more than 3,500 species of such living organisms have been described.
✅ Wide Ribbon / Diphyllobothrium latum
Usually flatworms live in the seas and oceans, but some species parasitize on various animals.
The wide ribbon is the largest of all flatworms, growing up to 25 cm in length. Some individuals, under favorable conditions, can grow up to 1 m. The adult stage of the life cycle takes place in the intestines of humans, as well as animals in the diet of which there is fish. It enters the body when eating contaminated, untreated, thermal fish.
Eggs develop in bodies of water, and then small white worms develop in fish. The head is small, from 3 to 5 mm. The head part, which scientists call the scolex, has an oval oblong shape, slightly flattened on both sides.
✅ Bull tapeworm / Taenia saginata
A large parasitic worm from the Teniida family affects cattle, as well as humans. Once in the human body, such a tapeworm can cause teniarinhosis, which affects the gastrointestinal tract.
A long jointed body consists of approximately 2.5 to 5 thousand segments, and the animal itself grows up to 10 m. The body diameter is 17–30 mm. If treatment is not taken, then the bovine tapeworm can live in the human body for up to 20 years. He has no organs of nutrition and respiration, and therefore absorb the necessary nutrients with his whole body.
The intermediate link is cattle, and the main life cycle takes place only in the human body. Most infections were reported in Africa, Eastern Europe, the Philippines, and parts of South America.
By the way, on our site thebiggest.ru there is an informative article about the most long-living animals of the planet.
✅ Pork tapeworm / Taenia solium
Unlike bovine, this parasite has devices for attachment in the body, and therefore it is called armed tapeworm. The larva develops in the body of the pig, and the main owner of the pork tapeworm is a person.
The adult tapeworm reaches 2-3 m. In the head part, in addition to the suction cups, there are two hook-shaped processes by which it is attached to the intestinal walls in humans. It enters the body when eating infected pig meat, and therefore strict sanitary control of animals is required. Sometimes, due to infection, it was necessary to destroy a large number of sick pigs.
As an intermediate host, this parasite can use hares, camels, dogs. The fact is that when dried, the eggs burst, and from the external environment can easily enter the body of the animal.
✅ Lineus longissimus
The ribbon representative of the species Nemertin is the longest worm on the planet, because it can grow up to 60 m. It is twice as long as the Blue Whale, which makes Lineus longissimum the longest animal in the world. Really, The Biggest!
They live in the ocean off the coast of northwestern Europe, as well as along the coast of Norway, swimming deep into the North and Baltic Sea. Despite the long size, the body diameter does not exceed 7–10 mm. Marine giants are predators, but do not disdain to eat carrion from the bottom of the ocean.
Adult individuals are red-brown, less often - black body color. It was first discovered in 1770, and introduced into the scientific classification in 1806. The species was assigned to the genus Lineus, which today has 15 species.
⭐
Summary
We agree that the worms are not those representatives of the animal world that you want to caress. But these amazing creatures are an interesting object for scientific research. Some species of this huge class of animal kingdom are useful for human life, and in Australia they even erected a monument to the earthworm.
Even in the world, the game slither io is widespread, in which, controlling a worm, you need to eat balls without crashing into other worms. There worms can be very large.
Article author: Valery Skiba