DistantNews
Support us
🇦🇺 Australia /Health & Science

'Almost Certainly New' Species of Giant Earthworms Found in South Australia

From ABC Australia · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Ecologist Kristen Messenger believes new species of giant earthworms exist in South Australia, despite official records stating otherwise.
  • Anecdotal reports describe these worms as over a meter long and as thick as a garden hose, with evidence suggesting some could reach 2 meters.
  • CSIRO scientist Geoff Dyne agrees that some large worms found in South Australia are likely new species, awaiting formal identification through scientific processes.

Ecologist Kristen Messenger suggests that South Australia may be home to undiscovered species of giant earthworms, challenging official records that claim none exist in the state.

Google will tell you that there are no species described in SA, but I don't think that's true.

— Kristen MessengerEcologist expressing her belief in the existence of giant earthworm species in South Australia despite official records.

For three decades, Messenger has documented anecdotal encounters with these elusive creatures. Reports describe worms exceeding a meter in length and possessing the thickness of a garden hose. While common earthworms rarely surpass 15 centimeters, the worms Messenger has investigated range from 70 centimeters to 1.5 meters, with the largest documented specimen appearing to be around 2 meters long, found in the Mid North region.

As an ecologist, you get a lot of people telling you things that can't be true or that are probably a bit exaggerated.

— Kristen MessengerEcologist reflecting on the nature of anecdotal evidence in scientific research.

South Australia officially recognizes only one larger earthworm species, the Giant Mount Lofty Earthworm, identified in 1887 and native to the Adelaide Hills and Mount Lofty Ranges. However, Messenger's findings originate from across the state, with a concentration in semi-arid areas like the Flinders Ranges. A public call-out by ABC North and West revealed similar reports from various regions, including the Mid North, Adelaide Hills, Southern Flinders Ranges, Yorke Peninsula, Murray region, Eyre Peninsula, Barossa, and Fleurieu Peninsula.

So anything that we come across that's unusual and apparently not in the right sort of habitat, you … have a good chance of being an undiscovered or new species.

— Geoff DyneCSIRO scientist explaining the criteria for identifying potentially new species of earthworms.

Geoff Dyne, a visiting scientist and environmental consultant at CSIRO, who identified a new giant earthworm species in Broken Hill in 2021, supports Messenger's hypothesis. He stated that some of the large worms found in South Australia are "almost certainly new" species, particularly those discovered in arid regions where no records previously existed. Formal recognition of a new species requires detailed anatomical examination and publication in an accredited scientific journal, a process that could confirm the existence of these extraordinary subterranean dwellers.

The 2-metre one would be certainly a new species. We haven't got anything on that scale known from South Australia.

— Geoff DyneCSIRO scientist commenting on the potential size and novelty of a discovered giant earthworm specimen.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Australia in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog