BRANDON SPECKTOR, LIVE SCIENCE
27 APRIL 2021
Some call them crazy worms. Pick one up, and you ll see why, as the creepy-crawly jerks, writhes and springs out of your hand. (It may even leave its tail behind, as a grim souvenir.) And now, scientists are finding the wrigglers have spread to at least 15 states across the US.
Amynthas - also known as snake worms, Asian jumping worms and Alabama jumpers, according to
Smithsonian Magazine - are a highly invasive lot that first made their way to North America in the 19th century, stowed away on ships carrying plants and dirt.
Since then, they ve spread, well, like crazy, and have now been sighted in more than a dozen states, including Minnesota, Wisconsin, Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Ohio, Texas, Louisiana, Indiana, Kansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee and Oklahoma, Newsweek.com reported.
Gusanos saltarines invaden varios estados de EE UU desatando preocupación en los científicos
rt.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from rt.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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ONLINE: Jumping Worms: The Impacts of a New Soil Invader
Apr 21, 2021 12:00 PM
The invasive jumping worm (genus Amynthas).
Anyone who took a walk outside this past Sunday morning is certainly familiar with earthworms, which were seemingly everywhere on the streets and sidewalks after the rain. There s a new variant being found in Wisconsin that has proven quite destructive:
jumping worms. Though smaller than the familiar nightcrawler found in Wisconsin, their effect on the soil is far more harmful; as they chew through decomposing vegetation and soil, they leave behind pellet-like, crumbly matter that is also devoid of nutrients needed by plant life. Learn how to help slow the spread of these invaders during this free webinar by UW Arboretum ecologist Brad Herrick;