worm

[A]

the common and short form for an ‘earthworm’

[B]

a kind animal – invertebrate (= without backbone or bones) – cold-blooded (= body temperature changes depending on the weather condition) – thread- or ribbon-like (flat or round) long, soft body without legs (some species have bristles, hair-like growth), some species have eyes, some without eyes, but with light sensitive organs, no teeth, some species without brains, but have nervous system, no head or tail in the ordinary sense, most species with a front and a back (anterior – beginning, and posterior – end part) – most of them wet and slimy; size: (varies widely) from very tiny (microscopic), and 0.04 inch (1 mm) in length, and a few milligrams in weight to about 200 feet (ribbon worm) in length and about 2 Kg. in weight;  feeds on (eats) (mostly) decaying plant and/or animal matter in the soil (some parasitic species feed on blood or the digested substances directly from their hosts); lives for – depends on the species; about 4,500 (?) species, found all over the world

[A group of worms is called a ‘bed’, ‘bunch’ or ‘clew’.]

There are four broad groups or types of worms: flatworms; ribbon worms; round worms; and segmented worms.

Flatworm:

fluke-worm

a soft, flat body, without body cavity, no specialised circulatory or respiratory system or organs; some species are parasitic (= living in or on the other animals getting the food directly from the host animals); some live in water, and some, on land; e.g. fluke, tapeworm, etc.

ribbon worm:

(also called ‘proboscis worms’)

ribbonworm

a soft, long, thin body, with sensory and regulatory system and organs; with a ‘proboscis’ (= a long finger-like organ) for catching prey; lives mostly in water – fresh and salt water; e.g. nermertea, etc.

{Though it is a worm, the ‘nermertea’, one of several ribbon worm species, is the longest animal in the world, with a length of 150-200 feet.  It is much long than the blue whale!}

roundworm:

roundworm

a soft, symmetrical body, with a complete digestive and nervous system, but without circulatory or respiratory system; mostly microscopic (= very, very small – so small that they can be seen only through a microscope), but some can grow to 4 feet long; mostly parasitic (= living on or in other animals); e.g. roundworm, hookworm, pinworm, etc.

segmented worm:

lugworm

a long, soft, round body divided by ring-like segments (like one part or compartment attached to the other); with digestive and circulatory system; can move (wriggle) on land; lives in water – fresh and salt – and on land; most common; some are parasitic (= living on or in another animal); e.g. earthworm, (leech), lug worm, bamboo worm, etc.

Continue … [C] >>>