| Freshwater
Worms
There are all sorts of Freshwater Worms; short ones
and long ones, skinny and chunky - even coloured 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.
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? |
