Earthworms are long, thin, soft-bodied invertebrate animals that live in the soil. They have no legs, eyes or ears. Earthworms are shaped like bendy tubes divided into segments. They breathe in oxygen through their skin. Adult earthworms have a swelling around their middle. This is where its eggs are stored.

Movement

Except for the front and rear ones, each segment of an earthworm is covered with tiny bristles. To move through the soil it first shortens its body, anchors itself to the soil with its bristles, then makes itself longer to haul itself along. Its body is covered in slime to make the passage through the soil easier.

Mating

Earthworms are hermaphrodites: every worm has both male and female sex organs. But they still need other worms to mate with. Following mating, each worm produces a tiny, lemon-shaped cocoon containing eggs. This is buried in the soil. The baby worms emerge between two and four weeks later.

Soil mixers

Earthworms tunnel underground during the day, feeding on soil and dead plants and leaves. As they burrow, they carry tiny pieces of dead leaf into the soil. Here, bacteria and fungi break it down into nutrients. These are substances that plants and animals need in their food. When the worms come to the surface, they bring these nutrients with them in their waste (poo).