Imagine walking across the street casually and some jumping worm ends up on your hand or shoulder. Seems irrational right? But it is not! Jumping worms are causing havoc in the United States. Reports claim a worm species which can leap into the air has been spreading across the United States.
According to California’s department of food and agriculture, the worms are “extremely active, aggressive and have voracious appetites”.
“Jumping worms are considered aggressive as they out-compete common European earthworms,” the department informed. California’s department of food and agriculture gave a warning that the worms “thrash immediately when handled behaving more like a threatened snake”. They can reportedly jump at least a foot off the ground, they added.
More about the jumping worms
The CDFA report also contained the frightening narrative of the worms. “These earthworms are extremely active, aggressive, and have voracious appetites. True to their name, they are known to jump off the ground or out of a bait can and thrash immediately when handled, behaving more like a threatened snake than a worm, sometimes even breaking and shedding their tail when caught.”
It has a dark body and is eight inches long. It can reproduce without mating or asexually and the cocoons can survive soil temperatures below -20°Centigrades. The jumping worms were first discovered in Japan and the Korean Peninsula. There may not be a system in place to monitor these worms across the country. However, invasive jumping worms have been found in Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, and several other areas in the US. The worms are said to be capable of causing significant deterioration to hardwood forests and are considered a menace to forest health. They can also disturb ornamental plantings, turf, and lawns. It is present in nursery fields, mulch, and compost, and it’s a danger to horticulture crop development.
