Big Book of Animals

Big Book of Animals book cover — BIG BOOK OF ANIMALS igloobooks

Big Book of Animals — page 1 — Worms Any soft-bodied legless animal with a length that exceeds its width is probably a worm There are many different types Most well-known are the earthworms which are segmented worms so called because their bodies are made up of different compartments or segments Other types of worm include parasites such as nematodes tapeworms and flukes leeches and flatworms Worms are found everywhere even in the most inhospitable places on the planet Where do you find Pompeii worms Pompeii worms are found very deep down in the Pacific Ocean in temperatures that are nearly hot enough to boil water They cluster on the side of hydrothermal vent chimneys close to where hot water and gases emerge from inside the Earth and spew into the sea The temperatures here average 149 F 65 C so Pompeii worms are the most heat-tolerant animals on Earth These worms grow to about 4 in 10 cm in length What is a flatworm Flatworms are the simplest type of worm and they have flat bodies that can be very thin Many are parasites like the dog tapeworm This creature has a round head that attaches to the inside of a dog’s intestines with sharp hooks From here it feeds on the partially digested food that passes through the gut from the dog’s stomach Sections of the worm drop off at its rear carrying eggs outside the body These eggs can infect another dog When were Pompeii worms discovered Only as recently as 1986 Cat tapeworms have flat ribbon-like bodies with up to 150 segments

Big Book of Animals — page 2 — How do you tell male and female earthworms apart Both male and female organs are present in each individual so you can’t Common earthworms are a type of segmented worm that are found all across the world They do a vital job of breaking down waste materials and improving the soil An earthworm’s body is divided into about 150 ring-like segments and it breathes through its skin They live in moist rich soil at depths of about 1 ft 30 cm In the winter earthworms dig deeper away from frost and lie coiled up in soil chambers Where do vent worms live Vent worms live deep under the Pacific Ocean near where cracks in the Earth’s surface cause temperatures to rise Chemicals and molten substances from deep in the Earth’s center form huge chimney-like structures around which vent worms live Vent worms feed with the help of billions of bacteria inside their red gills that convert harmful sulfurous chemicals collected from the vents into energy These remarkable creatures can survive in sea temperatures of up to 131 F 55 C They live in long white tubes which may grow to about 10 ft 3 m long The vent worm Riftia pachyptila lives at depths of over 1 mi 1 6 km in the Pacific Ocean Earthworms can consume up to one third of their own body weight in just one day

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