--- title: "Common Earthworm (Lumbricus terrestris) | AnimalTracks.wiki" description: "A hermaphrodite that lives in deep vertical burrows and generally leaves them only to feed and mate." image: "https://animaltracks.wiki/images/animals/common-earthworm-1.webp" published: "2026-10-11" updated: "2026-10-11" --- # Common Earthworm (*Lumbricus terrestris*) > **Status**: Checked against 4 sources, listed under Sources below. > **Tagline**: A hermaphrodite that lives in deep vertical burrows and generally leaves them only to feed and mate. > **Soundtrack Vibe**: Modern Metalcore & Djent // Chaosbay, "2 Billion" > **Soundtrack Links**: [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/track/6dSZv23B2KEFYwUFT9rqbl) > **Vibe Match**: An earthworm moves in waves: a segment gets longer when its circular muscles contract and shorter when its longitudinal muscles contract, at 5 to 20 waves a minute. Chaosbay's 2 Billion runs on staggered, offset djent riffs that stretch and snap back under big clean choruses. ## Biological Superpowers & Stats - **Taxonomy**: *Lumbricus terrestris* - **Danger Level**: Low - **Conservation Status**: Not Evaluated ([IUCN Red List](https://www.iucnredlist.org/)) - **Superpower**: Crawls in waves, lengthening and shortening its body segments - **Habitat**: Deep vertical burrows in soil; thought to be native to West Europe, now globally distributed in temperate to mild boreal climates - **Diet**: Generally feeds on surface litter, preferring fresh litter to accumulated organic matter - **Tags**: invertebrate, burrower, subterranean, agricultural ## Natural History & Behavior ## A body that crawls in waves The common earthworm, *Lumbricus terrestris*, is a soft-bodied animal supported by a hydrostatic skeleton, which means it moves mainly by changing the shape of its soft segments, not by bending rigid parts at joints. It moves in waves. In normal movement, a segment gets longer when its circular muscles contract and shorter when its longitudinal muscles contract. The waves come at 5 to 20 a minute. Researchers have also recorded when its setae, which are bristles, poke out as it moves. Pressure recordings from crawling and burrowing worms point to the importance of the circular muscles in extending the head end and in the first push into soil. ## Size, weight and lifespan A common earthworm typically measures 8 to 15 cm long, and occasionally up to 35 cm. It grows rapidly for approximately 3 years and reaches an average weight of approximately 9.5–11 g in culture and 5–6.25 g in field populations. After 3 years, the average weight begins to decrease. Its lifespan is approximately 5–9 years in culture and probably less in the field. Not many earthworms survive 7 years in the field. ## Deep burrows, surface meals This worm is anecic, meaning it lives in deep vertical burrows of 2 m. It generally only emerges to feed on surface litter. It is not frost-tolerant, which indicates that it hibernates in deep soil layers during the winter. A worm can move 4–19 m in a single night, but this movement is random. Anecic worms like this one are associated with mixing soil horizons, the layers of soil, in the areas they invade. ## A slow crawler gone global Each worm is a simultaneous hermaphrodite and mates reciprocally, with two worms mutually exchanging sperm. It leaves its burrow to mate on the soil surface. Because each worm is a hermaphrodite, only two are needed to found a population. > **Slow under its own power** > Self-propelled spread is slow at 6.3 m/year or about 6 km/1000 years. Most of the invasion can be attributed to human activity. The species is thought to be native to West Europe, but it is now globally distributed in temperate to mild boreal climates. Once it is present in an environment, its activities can radically alter the way litter on the forest floor decomposes. In English it is called the nightcrawler or the dew worm. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How old is a common earthworm when it can breed? It usually becomes able to reproduce within 1 year, though how long this takes is strongly influenced by environmental factors. Adult and immature worms can be told apart by the clitellum that develops at that point. *(Source: [Misirlioğlu, Tsekova & Stojanović 2016]())* ### What does the common earthworm prefer to eat? When feeding, it prefers fresh litter to organic matter that has built up in the upper soil horizon. *(Source: [Misirlioğlu, Tsekova & Stojanović 2016]())* ### Is the nightcrawler native to the United States and Canada? No. ITIS lists Lumbricus terrestris, called nightcrawler or dew worm in English, as introduced in the continental United States and in Canada. *(Source: [Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS)]())* ## Sources 1. [Misirlioğlu, Tsekova & Stojanović (2016). On the presence of Lumbricus terrestris Linnaeus 1758 (Oligochaeta, Lumbricidae) on the Balkan Peninsula: some aspects of ecology and distribution. Turkish Journal of Zoology.]() 2. [Seymour (1969). Locomotion and Coelomic Pressure in Lumbricus Terrestris L. Journal of Experimental Biology.]() 3. [Quillin (1999). Kinematic scaling of locomotion by hydrostatic animals: ontogeny of peristaltic crawling by the earthworm Lumbricus terrestris. Journal of Experimental Biology.]() 4. [Lumbricus terrestris Linnaeus, 1758. Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS).]() *Published October 11, 2026. 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