The meek shall inherit the earth(worms)

I was intrigued to note that a new book lists ye olde common-or-garden earthworm as the single most influential species on earth. The author's list of the Top 10 species is:

1. Earthworm
2. Algae
3. Cynobacteria (among our oldest living species)
4. Rhizobia (bacteria essential for growth of beans)
5. Lactobacillus (aids fermentation and digestion)
6. Homo Sapiens
7. Stony corals
8. Yeast
9. Influenza
10. Penicillin

Earthworms, of course, are the living 'ploughs' of Nature, aerating, turning over and refreshing the soil, making it fertile for the growth of crops. Without them, life as we know it could not have arisen on Earth.

Intrigued by the article, I did a bit of research online. Coming, as I do, from South Africa, I knew that the world's largest species of earthworm (microchaetus rappi, or the Giant South African Earthworm) was from that area. The largest specimen thus far recorded was over 22 feet in length!




However, it seems that microchaetus rappi is far from alone. There are other supersized worms out there, such as the Australian megascolides australis, recorded as up to 10 feet long.




Hmm. I wonder what size fish one could catch with bait that big? You'd need an equally large hook, of course, and probably a bloody great hawser instead of fishing line . . .

Ongoing reading led me to the Web site of Earthworm Digest, which bills itself as 'The #1 Earthworm Information Site In The World . . . Where Every Article Published Includes Something About Earthworms'. They have all sorts of nauseating fascinating information, including:

• The treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Disease using whipworm eggs;
• Ice Worms: they're real, and they're hot!
• Zombie worms found in North Sea shallows.

There's enough to keep a visitor reading for hours. I wonder if the Weekly World News knows about this site?

Reading about the bigger worms led me, inevitably, to reading about the world's largest organisms. It's a fascinating list in every category. For example, according to one classification, the world's single largest organism is over 1,600 miles long! You may be surprised when you click on the link to learn what it is.

All that began with a simple list of organisms. It turned into a most interesting wander through the wilds of the World Wide Web.

Peter