Tuesday, November 06, 2007

Worm Woods

Holy Jumping Wormies, Batman! Sounds like Georgia has got some serious problems with Asian earthworms. Affectionately known as "Alabama jumpers" (Amynthas agrestis), these worms are known for their ability to jump right out of a bait cup. They are also known by scientists for their aggressive behavior, raising concerns that they could be having an impact on native earthworm species. Now the worms have recently been observed moving into forested areas in the Smoky Mountains, as evidenced by patches of the forest floor now completely devoid of any leaf litter. The Athens Banner-Herald has the full story, or you can read a paper on the subject here. Bonus points to the Banner-Herald for using the worm's scientific name.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Now I've got to start worrying about worms? Is nothing scared?

Anonymous said...

Sacred, okay? I meant sacred. Although it is scary.

Jennifer Forman Orth said...

Awww, you corrected yourself before I got to make a joke about it. That's no fun!