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Freshwater Worms
There are all sorts of Freshwater Worms;
short ones and long ones, skinny and chunky
- even colour ones!
What they look like:
Freshwater Worms have segmented bodies with
rounded ends and no suckers or legs. Many
are red or flesh coloured. The
Megadrili
are large and robust worms, which look much
like earthworms. The
Microdrili
are smaller and more slightly built. Some
species are short with few segments and with
the body clearly divided into specialised
regions. Others have a few to several
hundred segments. A few species have obvious
external gills.
Size:
1-30 mm long.
Where they live:
Freshwater Worms occur in a wide range of
conditions, in still and running water.
What they eat:
Freshwater Worms feed on organic material
and bacteria that occur in silt and mud. A
lot of the mud is eaten but not digested.
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Pollution tolerance:
Very tolerant, rating 1.
Freshwater worms can live in streams
with organic pollution because they
can survive in the low oxygen
environment. They feed off the algae
and bacteria that grow in these
environments. |
What’s interesting about
Freshwater Worms? |
