Tail of end of Giant Gippsland Earthworm (GGE) moving through burrow

Giant Gippsland Earthworm

Learn More • Fact Sheet 1: Giant Gippsland Earthworm - recognising habitat on your property If you would like to learn more about the Giant Gippsland Earthworm (GGE), or have any queries, please contact us .

About The Giant Gippsland Earthworm (GGE)

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Question 1: A snake or a worm?

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Question 2: Is my worm bigger than yours?

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Question 6: How long do they live? (or How long is a piece of string?)

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Question 7: Are worms good for the farm?

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Question 3: What is the range of GGEs within Gippsland?

Question 4: Where do I look for GGE habitat on my farm?

Question 5: How can I detect GGE colonies on my farm?

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All photographs © Dr. Beverley Van Praagh, Invert-Eco unless otherwise stated. No image may be saved, copied, reproduced or distributed without prior permission from the copyright owner.

Email: info@giantearthworm.org.au

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Giant Gippsland Earthworm

Giant Gippsland Earthworm (GGE)

• About GGEs • Take The ‘Do I Have Worms On My Property?’ Test • The Secret Sex Lives Of Worms • What Threats Do GGEs Face?

About The Giant Gippsland Earthworm

(GGE)

It was during the late 1870s, when railway workers were surveying the Moe to Bunyip section of rail line around Brandy Creek, that this strange creature was unearthed. Having never seen an earthworm of this size, they mistook it for a snake! It wasn’t until it arrived at the University of Melbourne where Professor McCoy examined it and recognised it as giant species of earthworm. Professor McCoy went on to describe it and name it Megascolides australis.

All photographs © Dr. Beverley Van Praagh, Invert-Eco unless otherwise stated. No image may be saved, copied, reproduced or distributed without prior permission from the copyright owner.

Email: info@giantearthworm.org.au

Website by VP-IT

Q1. A snake or a worm?

Giant earthworms are found in several states of Australia and from many countries around the world. Just as fisherman like to exaggerate the size of the fish they catch, there are many exaggerated claims about the size of worms. Giant Gippsland Earthworms (GGEs) have been reported as being over 3 m in length. Scientists studying the worm over the past 30 years suggest the average length of an adult worm is around 1 m and weighs 200 g. However, worms 2 m long and weighing up to 400 g have been found. Part of these exaggerated claims may come from the fact that worms can expand and contract, just like a concertina! A worm that is stretched or relaxed can easily double its length, perhaps giving rise to reports of these ginormous worms.

Q2. Is my worm bigger than yours?

Q3. What is the range of GGEs within Gippsland?

The only place GGE are found in the world is approximately 40,000 ha of South and West Gippsland, Victoria. This area lies roughly between Buln Buln to the north, Jumbunna to the south, Almurta to the west, and Mt Eccles to the east. Within this range, worms are usually limited to small, widely dispersed pockets of suitable habitat along creek banks and south facing slopes.

Q4. Where do I look for habitat on my farm?

GGEs have very specific requirements that mean they are usually only found in small pockets of suitable habitat. Colonies may be small, with only a few individuals, to larger colonies where many hundreds of worms can be found. Colonies are found in two main habitats: 1. along the banks and terraces of streams and drainage channels, and 2. steep, south-facing slopes, often with terracettes. Sites with GGE colonies generally have well-draining blue- grey clay soils or red-brown clay loam soils that, critically, remain moist year-round. GGE cannot survive in water- logged soils or areas subject to seasonal flooding.

Q5. How can I detect GGE colonies on my farm?

As GGE live their lives entirely underground, detecting colonies can be difficult. The best place to start is by searching areas where GGE habitat is more likely to occur (see question 4). Searching for areas along creek-banks where buttercup and yabby mounds are present or south- facing slopes with terracettes can help identify wetter sites that may support GGE habitat.

Please click play below to listen to gurgling sound

Q6. How long do worms live?

GGE are difficult to study because of their life underground. Scientists have not been able to replicate their natural environment in captivity so the answers to many questions such as life span are elusive. Earthworms typically live only a few months because of the many environmental threats they face. However, some worms have been observed to live for 10 years in a protected environment. Given their life deep in the soil, their size and slow growth rate and the fact that colonies usually have many more adults than young, it is very likely that these worms would outlive your average household pet, maybe even your grandmother!

Q7. Are worms good for the farm?

Earthworms are an important part of the soil ecosystem and play a pivotal role in maintaining the productivity of our soils. The burrowing and feeding activity of earthworms have numerous beneficial effects on overall soil quality. They help improve soil structure and soil chemical and biological properties by contributing to an increased nutrient availability, better drainage, and a more stable soil structure, all of which help improve farm productivity. Perhaps the high productivity of farmland in South Gippsland maybe attributable in part to these giant earthworms!

Buttercups (Ranunculus sp.)

Yabby Mounds (Engaeus sp.)

One method that can be easily used is to walk over areas of possible habitat and listen for the gurgling sound that worms make when moving through their moist burrows. This is best done several times in winter and spring when worms are in the parts of their burrow systems that are closest to the soil surface.

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Giant Gippsland Earthworm

European Earthworm

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