eli5: Why do worms get out on the asphalt when it’s raining?
In: 3592
First off: gonna lead with a lesser known fact: worms can’t drown. They breathe through their skin and can handle water as easily as air. Their problem with bodies of water is that they can’t *move* because there’s nothing for them to push off of and against.
Edit: because others are asking: okay, they *can* drown in the sense that they can’t live in the water indefinitely because water has less easily available oxygen then air. They’re not aquatic. They can, however, still breathe somewhat and live in the water for a few weeks.
For the question: Worms have a slime coating on them that helps them move without every little bump in the ground tearing their skin. Worms don’t come up during the day because it’s not safe from birds and such that would eat them and also because the sun can dry them out. (They do sometimes come to the surface at night because the sun isn’t there to kill them, and also to escape burrowing animals like moles.) But they often come up in the rain because it’s suddenly as easy for them to move and survive on the surface as it is underground without the danger of drying out. They try to cross the asphalt because they’re able to and also to find new dirt. They’re everywhere, they’re just more noticeable on the asphalt because they’re stuck there when the water is gone.
Edit: I didn’t come here to be known as the worm guy but apparently this blew up? This one comment is already a not-insignificant portion of my karma, what is happening?!
Edit edit: I don’t know about snails or slugs, stop asking me.
Latest Answers