Freaky Weird Animals – Giant Worms
I will have to admit when I think about freaky weird animals worms are not the first thing that comes to mind, but after seeing these different giant worms I might just have to rethink that!
Giant Sea Worm
In my opinion this giant sea worm also called a polychaete worm is one of those freaky weird animals that I definitely do not want to run into. This four foot long multi leg giant sea worm is just one of the strangest animals that I have seen in a while. Not only is this little guy four foot long it is also covered in thousands of tiny little hairs that are capable of permanently inflicting numbness if they come in contact with someone’s skin, if that wouldn’t be horrible.
This polychaete worm is nicknamed Barry. Barry was found in one of Newquay’s Blue Reef Aquarium’s display tanks, but that was only after months of this giant sea worm eating the live fish and coral reef in the display tank. The care takers of the aquarium kept noticing that the fish were disappearing and that the coral reef was being destroyed, but could not figure out why. So in an act of desperation to try and save the creatures of this tank, they decided to totally dismantle it so that they could find the culprit.
Well about half way through the dismantling of the display tank they found Barry the giant sea worm hiding in the coral. They believe that he had gotten into the tank as a juvenile by hiding inside of some live coral. So for all you salt water aquarium owners out there I hope you don’t end up with one of these weird animals in your tanks!
Giant South African Earthworm
If you thought Barry the giant sea worm was a weird animal then wait till you hear about the Giant South African Earthworm it has to rank near the top of the list for weird animals. The Giant South African Earthworm also known as the Microchaetus Rappi holds the record for the longest earth worm. Back in 1967 the world record setting Microchaetus Rappi was found laying beside the road near William’s Town, South Africa this amazing creature measured a massive 22 feet long. Unfortunately I have not been able to track down any photo’s of this giant earth worm.
Giant Gippsland Earthworm
The Giant Gippsland Earthworm also known as the Megascolides australis even though it is no where near the size of the Giant South African Earthworm it is still one of those weird animals that I thought I should list here.
The Giant Gippsland Earthworm is only found in the small Bass River Valley of South Gippsland, Australia. These giant earthworms with their dark purple heads and blue gray body take about 5 years to reach maturity, and when they do have been known to reach lengths of up to 10 feet long! Could you even imagine seeing a 10 foot long earthworm out in your front yard?
