3 feet is the average height of a 3-year-old. Would you be terrified if you discovered a toddler-length earthworm in a stream near your family’s home? A 9-year-old boy in New Zealand recently played with his younger sister in his garden, where they dug around a stream. [i] [ii]

The boy, Barnaby Domigan, dug up the colossal earthworm and used a stick to lift the worm and get a better view of it. The boy, while being interviewed, shared his thoughts regarding the discovery, stating,

I thought it was massive, and amazing, and a little bit disgusting.” [iii]

Barnaby Domigan and his family.Photo by Jo Domigan/Mirror.co.uk

Although Barnaby wanted desperately to keep the earthworm, his parents thought it best if they released it back into the garden. Since posting the photograph of the worm on Facebook, the family states they have yet to see the giant worm again. The boy speaks about the incident in the video below. [iv]

There are several giant worms found across the globe. One is the Giant Gippsland Earthworm which grows from three to nine feet long. [v]

Woman holding a giant Gippsland Earthworm in the 1980s.Photo by AustralianGeographic.com.au

The video below further details and shows up-close footage of the Gippsland Earthworm.

Another monstrous worm is the Whale Tapeworm which can grow up to 131 feet long! It is a gut parasite of whales. [vi]

Finally, the giant South African Earthworm can reach over 20 feet in length. This particular earthworm holds the Guinness World Record for the longest earthworm measuring 21 feet in length. [vii]

South African Earthworm Photo by Blunt_Hound/Reddit

Any of these species seem as though it would be somewhat frightening to meet them face to face.

References

[i] Times Now, 9-year-old finds a gigantic 3-foot earthworm in his back garden; ‘stuff of nightmares,’ says internet, (Sep. 8, 2022)

[ii] OnAverage, Average Child Height, (2022)

[iii] Times Now, 9-year-old finds a gigantic 3-foot earthworm in his back garden; ‘stuff of nightmares,’ says internet, (Sep. 8, 2022)

[iv] Id.

[v] Angela Heathcote, The plight of the Giant Gippsland Earthworm, (Dec. 7, 2017)

[vi] Lee Parker, What are Whale Tapeworms? (2022)

[vii] Guinness World Records, Longest earthworm, (1967)