Naturalists Want More Info on Giant Worms

Naturalists are searching southwest Washington state for the giant Palouse earthworm in an effort to get the species on the endangered list.

The worms grow up to 3 feet long. But they are surprisingly difficult to find for a large worm, The Seattle Times reported Tuesday.

The Palouse Prairie Foundation applied for an endangered species listing recently. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service rejected the petition on the grounds that there is no proof they are endangered.

Very little is known about the worms, including whether they are extinct, since only four specimens have been recorded in 30 years. Most scientists believe that the worms prefer prairie habitat but there is at least one 19th-century report of worms found in a forest.

Jodi Johnson-Maynard of the University of Idaho said that scientists are trying new methods to bring the worms to the surface. They include a device that sends a mild electrical shock into the earth, flooding burrows with a mild solution of hot mustard and vinegar and sending vibrations into the ground.

The traditional worm-hunting tool, a tile spade, has its problems, although Johnson-Maynard said the handle is useful for scaring off rattlesnakes. Two years ago, a graduate student accidentally cut a Palouse earthworm in two with a spade.