In total, New Zealand has at least 171 species of native earthworms and 23 non-native species. In native forests and tussock grasslands the native earthworms dominate, all of which belong to the family Megascolecidae (including A. In the farmland, gardens, parks, city lawns, and pastures of New Zealand, the earthworm populations consist of a small group of introduced species, which belong to the family Lumbricidae. The earthworms we commonly see in compost bins (tiger worms) and gardens are introduced earthworms from Europe. But actually, even ‘normal’ earthworms are a lot more impressive than you might think. gigantea is that it has twice as many hairs as ‘normal’ earthworms and apparently feels ‘unshaven’ – so it’s a hairy, glow-in-the-dark, giant earthworm – the more you learn the stranger it gets. They don’t have gills (or lungs) and need to breathe oxygen through their skin – just like the common introduced earthworms that appear on your lawns and paths in wet weather. If the rain is torrential and their burrows fill with water or block up with mudslips, the secretive giants may be driven to the surface to avoid drowning.
Walking in the forest after very heavy rain may be your best chance of seeing one. A North Auckland worm measuring about 75cm held by a Ti Point Reptile Park worker.
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