Scientists warn that giant carnivorous worms, which live exclusively in tropical Asia, inexplicably ended up in France, which threatens a real biological catastrophe.
Despite their impressive size, these unusual creatures would have remained completely invisible, if not for the efforts of amateur naturalist Pierre Gros, who took photographs of the unknown worm back in 2013 and began to send photos to scientists by email.
Zoology professor at the French National Museum of Natural History Jean-Loup Justine says in an interview with the Independent:
“Yes, at one time I received this photo by e-mail. There are no such worms and never have been in Europe at all, especially in France. I took this message as someone's stupid joke."
However, Pierre Gros did not give up and having contacted the professor by e-mail, he presented him with samples of live worms found in the garden. And only after seeing the exotic creatures with his own eyes, Professor Jean-Loup Justine realized that this was not a joke. After checking the morphology of individuals with biological reference books, he seriously began research to assess the scale of the situation.
Over the next five years, Professor Justine summarized reports of more than 100 sightings of these worms throughout the country, including in the gardens of tropical French territories, including Guadeloupe, Martinique and French Guiana. The very first observations began there, and back in 1999. However, now similar individuals are registered in the UK.
Professor Justine explained in detail to the Independent what the problem is now.
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Such worms live exclusively in South Asia. They are huge, reaching 40 centimeters in size, and some types, the so-called “hammers” with wide spade-like thickenings at the beginning, reach more than a meter in length. And all these creatures are predatory.
Earthworms living in Europe are also sometimes large, reaching a length of three meters, but they feed exclusively on waste that falls into the soil. They feed on fallen leaves, rotting vegetables and fruits, bird and animal droppings, ultimately turning all of this into fertile soil.
In addition, in the course of their vital activity, worms burrow minks in the soil, which contributes to its aeration, moisture and mixing.
The worms that come from Asia don't do any of this - they just eat all these beneficial earthworms. And if in their natural habitat, predatory worms have natural enemies who also hunt and eat them, thereby maintaining a balance, then in Europe they do not have these enemies.
In South Asia, earthworms breed all year round, and to control this process, the ecological system needs a limiting predator. At the same time, worms in Europe have only seasonal populations: in winter, worms do not reproduce and do not loosen anything in frozen soil.
Considering these two factors, the population of earthworms in Europe is under threat, if not extinction, then a sharp decline in numbers, which will inevitably affect the local flora and fauna. For example, imagine a picture when the leaves that have fallen in autumn will lie and rot not for 3-6 months, but for decades!
Professor Justine says that the accidental entry of predatory worms into Europe was his very first assumption, since southern worms and insects are often present on the leaves of plants and food delivered from the area. However, the study of the topic and communication with colleagues convinced him that the new predatory worms came to Europe for a long time. Now, most likely for good.
