What do Worms Eat

Worms have a soft, long, rounded body without a backbone. Worms are often confused by people as caterpillars and grubs. These animals are different from worms as they are insects in their larval stage and do not look anything like the worms when they mature. Worms have species that are microscopic as well as a few feet to some meters long. Many worms have a well-developed sense of touch. They can respond to chemicals in their surroundings. There are species with eyes or eye spots on their head.

Where Do Worms Live?
Worms are mostly found living in the soil. But there are a few that live in water. They are found in marine and freshwater habitats. Annelids and aschelminthes live in soil and help increase the organic value of the soil. Aschelminthes are plant parasites and platyhelminthes are human parasites.

Types of Worms
Worms are known as invertebrates and are divided into four groups:

• Platyhelminthes or Flatworms.
  
• Nematoda or Roundworms
  
• Annelida or Segmented worms

Earthworms are the most common type of worms from the phylum Annelida. They are known to be the oldest living species on earth since 120 million years. They are hermaphrodites, that is, have both sexes in one animal. Worms under the phylum Nematoda and Cestoda are are also known as helminths. The term 'helminths' is used to refer to parasitic worms.

Characteristics of a Worm
Worms have the two sides of their bodies identical, thus they are bilaterally symmetrical. They lack scales and legs or true limbs. However, that have appendages like fins and bristles. Many species have different ways of moving about. Many lack muscles that help them move, and are dependent on other animals or forces to help them with their transportation. Few species have major muscles known as muscular hydrostat and move on their own. Few worms have light sensing organs. Worms can reproduce sexually and asexually. They have no lungs, brains, circulatory or digestive organs. But they have a nerve ganglia. They breath through their skin, therefore, need their skin to be moist at all times. Too much water takes the place of oxygen, forcing these worms on the soil. If they remain in sunlight for long periods, they can become paralyzed.

What do Worms Eat?
Worms have mouths that are small in some species and big in some. They have a pharynx, esophagus, crop, gizzard and intestine. They pull the food material into the mouth using the pharynx and its prostomium or acron. This helps create a suction motion that helps the worm eat large amount of food in a short time. The gizzard helps grinding the food as they lack teeth. Now, coming back to our question, what do worms eat?

Worms eat different kinds of foods, and it depends on the place they live in. Worm food consists of dead plants, grass and leaves on the ground. They feed on the fungus and bacteria growing on these leaves to survive. The surface worms may eat fruit and vegetable scraps thrown in the bins by humans. Worm food includes organic matter, even dead animals. Worms used for vermicomposting, love to eat coffee grounds, cardboard, melon rinds, even wood shavings! They may even consume hair in small proportions.

The parasitic worms live inside human, animal or plant body. They feast on the food consumed by their hosts. Worms living in water love to eat algae and bacteria. Worms may also eat some grains of sand and soil. They mix them with moisture and grind the food eaten into tiny pieces with the help of the gizzard. The food from the gizzard travels into the intestines and gets absorbed into the blood. Worms eat so much food that the produced excreta is equal to their body weight. This worm excreta is a very good manure for the soil.

Well, this was all about what do worms eat. If you have a worm as pet or if you are raising worms for worm composting, do not feed them acidic foods, bones, dairy products, etc. Worms eat just about anything organic and are not at all fussy about their foods.