Mudcat Café message #3986644 The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #164314   Message #3986644
Posted By: keberoxu
09-Apr-19 - 04:38 PM
Thread Name: BS: Varmints
Subject: RE: BS: Varmints
Why Earthworms Come Out When It Rains.
No, this is not poetry.
This is in response to fellow Mudcatter Donuel,
who asserts that
they don't want to drown underground.

Rhonda Sherman, at
North Carolina State University's
Department of Horticultural Science,
begs to differ.

"Worms don't have lungs, and instead, breathe through their skin.
Their skin must stay moist
for oxygen to pass through it."

What the worms wnat, when they come out like this, it seems,
is oxygen.

"A lot of people assume
that earthworms come out of the burrows when it rains
because they are drowning.
But they can't drown like humans
and can stay completely submerged in water for several days
if there is oxygen in the water."

Worms on the pavement are in serious trouble
when the sun comes back out;
exposure to light causes temporary paralysis.
Meanwhile the pavement moisture evaporates,
the worm can't breathe through dry skin,
and consequently the worm dies.

How to lend a helpful hand
to a worm on the pavement?

" ... gently picking it up and
putting it back on the grass or in leaves,
shielding it from direct sunlight,
so it will go back underground."

Learned something new today.