The Giant Palouse Earthworm, a Sci-fi Creature, or Reality?

Word spread like wildfire across the internet today that conservationists in Moscow, Idaho are searching diligently for a worm that has been rumored to be in existence for more than a hundred years. It has been named the Palouse earthworm for the region in which it lives, a space of about "2 million acres of rolling wheat fields near the Idaho-Washington border south of Spokane," and is reported to reach a size of three feet.

The first sightings of the earthworm were recorded in the late 1890's, and there have been reports of numerous sightings since then. There is however only one confirmed sighting of the worm. In 2005, a graduate student from the University of Idaho actually found a worm and was able to collect it as a specimen, although it was not full grown. Since conservationists now have proof of its existence they have determined to find another one in an earthworm dig this summer.

Jodi Johnson-Maynard, a professor from the University of Idaho is leading the group looking for the Palouse earthworm. The team is using three different types of excavation methods in order to catch a live earthworm.

"One involves just digging a hole and sifting the soil through a strainer, looking for any worms that can be studied. The second involves old-fashioned chemical warfare, pouring a liquid solution of vinegar and mustard onto the ground, irritating worms until they come to the surface. The third method is new to this search, using electricity to shock worms to the surface." (AP) Researchers have not found any new specimens of the Palouse earthworm at this time, but are hoping that they will find one soon.

In the meantime many researchers and conservationists want to list the Palouse earthworm on the endangered species list. Unfortunately, if the worm is listed that would cause an interruption in wheat production in one of the largest farming areas in the country.

According to PPF HOME, a large group of environmentalist groups including: "Friends of the Clearwater, Center for Biological Diversity, Palouse Prairie Foundation, Palouse Audubon and Palouse Group of Sierra Club filed a petition with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service requesting that the agency protect the giant Palouse earthworm as an endangered species." (PPFHOME)

They are claiming that this "earthworm has been found only four times in the past 110 years, including in 2005, and is immediately threatened by agriculture, urban sprawl, and invasive earthworms." (PPF HOME)

This giant earthworm is only found in the Palouse region of "Washington and northern Idaho." One interesting note recorded by the AP is that this is one of only a few species of worms that are native to the United States, and that many of our earthworms were imported from Europe in the soil of plants sent to the Colonies.

Whether or not the Palouse earthworm should be listed on the Endangered Species list or not doesn't matter. A rumor of a giant earthworm is enough to keep most Americans hopeful of its eventual discovery.

References:

The Giant Palouse Earthworm at: http://www.palouseprairie.org/invertebrates/palouseworm.html. Retrieved from the world wide web on 7/11/09.

Searchers shovel Northwest dirt seeking giant worm at:

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_GIANT_PALOUSE_EARTHWORM?SITE=MAFIT&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT. Retrieved from the world wide web on 7/11/09.