Giant worms found on Rum
Earthworms weighing up to 12.5g discovered at Pappadil
WORMS measuring more than a foot long may sound like science fiction but university researchers have found them on the isle of Rum,
writes Eala McAllister.
The worms live much longer than worms elsewhere and, unlike most animals, earthworms don’t stop growing when they reach adult size but continue to grow throughout their life.
Research coordinator Dr Kevin Butt from the University of Central Lancashire has put their size and longevity down to fertile soil and lack of predators.
He said: ‘There’s quite poor soil in most places on Rum, but in Pappadil, where we found them, there’s really nice brown soil.
‘What would often happen to worms, even before they’re a couple of years old, is they would be eaten by birds or dug up for fishing.
‘On Rum there were no predators, so they just kept growing. We think worms can live for up to 10 years and I absolutely think they were about that age.’
To try and confirm this, the researchers have marked some of the smaller ones and hope to monitor them to see how long they live.
Dr Butt has been coming to Rum for 20 years and has taken plenty of students there.
On one visit, he and a colleague made their way to Pappadil and found a larger than usual mound outside a burrow suggesting much bigger worms than normal.
On a return trip, mustard powder and water was put down to encourage the worms to surface.
What emerged were worms up to 39cm and weighing up to 12.5grams, about three times the usual four-to-five-gram weight.
Dr Butt explained: ‘As they came up we realised they could be the biggest in the UK so we weighed and measured them.’
He is convinced there are other worms of a similar size on other islands and the mainland. ‘It wouldn’t have to be remote islands,’ he said. ‘ What matters are the conditions, the good soil and lack of predators – you could find them on steep woodland.’
The discovery is good news for the eco system on Rum as the giant worms help to aerate the soil and prevent flooding.