9 ms·

Giant worms are a thing: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_Gippsland_earthworm https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_Gippsland_earthworm

hyperific 3y ago
I should have known it'd be Australian.
- notnmeyer 3y ago
  haha, my thoughts exactly. went scanning through the wikipedia and saw it was austrailian, and thought, "oh, that makes sense".
- monkeydreams 3y ago
  Australian giant earthworms are larger than this by far.
ceejayoz 3y ago
Scarier ones exist: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eunice_aphroditois https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eunice_aphroditois They're terrifying in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_7ByiYbCYM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_7ByiYbCYM
- ubermonkey 3y ago
  These aren't scary to people DIRECTLY, but ISTR that they can be a SERIOUS problem in aquariums. There was a tale online a while back about an aquarium hobbyist who realized the coral he'd brought into his very fancy tank apparently had a bobbit in it, and how he eventually got it out. You can't just pull it out; apparently, it'll split, and then you have TWO of them. https://whyy.org/segments/liz-bobbit-worm/ https://whyy.org/segments/liz-bobbit-worm/ tl;dr: he got it out, but it was SEVEN FEET LONG.
  - ceejayoz 3y ago
    I remember that thread! I briefly flirted with saltwater reef tanks before deciding it was way, way more than my ADHD-addled brain could take. Great summary of the key moments.
    - ubermonkey 3y ago
      There are several things in life that look really cool, but that I also know myself well enough to avoid. Saltwater aquariums are on that list.
  - yreg 3y ago
    > apparently, it'll split, and then you have TWO of them. This sounds like a myth to me so I tried to confirm / debunk it. It seems that all the online reporting goes back to a story about a specimen found in Woking aquatics[0]. The store manager said that when the worm broke into three pieces, the head piece lived on and the middle piece moved around as well. I'm not confident that means that the middle piece grew a new head and continued to live. Can anyone here shed more light on this? [0] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-surrey-24523612.amp https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-surrey-24523612.amp edit: btw, the story linked by the parent is great
    - ceejayoz 3y ago
      It's certainly plausible. https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/local-news/bobbit-worms-split-sections-regenerate-6236955 https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/local-news/bobbit-worms-spl... > Marine biologist Dr Nicholas Higgs - who works at Plymouth University's Marine Institute and was a PhD student at the Natural History Museum in London - said: "Many species of bristle worm have the ability to regenerate parts of their body, even the head or tail.
  - bluedino 3y ago
    This needs it's own submission.
- gpderetta 3y ago
  Well, another reminder that monsters do in fact exist. Worth its own HN submission?
  - wharvle 3y ago
    All of life “beneath” humanity basically lives in a 24/7 horror movie, as far as I can tell. Humans only do so part-time.
    - brabel 3y ago
      The fact that most of us don't have to constantly worry of something bigger, stronger and faster than us snatching us at nigh to devour us or our families half alive is something we should be very, very thankful for. Our ancestors may have gone a bit overboard, which is why today there just isn't any predator near human habitation (with very few exceptions) and there's no giant predators at all, we killed them all.
      - jjtheblunt 3y ago
        What about the tiny predators of bacteria and virus sorts, and of course genetic aberrations with cancers? Tiny predators are the apex we generally are vulnerable in light of.
        gamacodre 3y ago
        Those are more difficult, but we're in the process of killing them off too. As usual, without much regard to consequences.
      - throwup238 3y ago
        Forget predators, our ancestors were afraid of the weather. Just about anything in the world would kill them if they let it. /me goes off to chase tornadoes
        s0rce 3y ago
- yreg 3y ago
  I was not prepared for this part: > The [worm] name is taken from the John and Lorena Bobbitt case. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_and_Lorena_Bobbitt https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_and_Lorena_Bobbitt
- kruuuder 3y ago
  Truly impressive images, but the foley sounds and music in that video are so idiotic.
- cbsmith 3y ago
  Ah, graboids.
  - OrvalWintermute 3y ago
    Is that of the same genus as the Sarlacc?
    - cbsmith 3y ago
      Yes, Cinematicus genus. ;-)
- derbOac 3y ago
  One of my most hair-raising memories is dissecting marine worms. I remember a tub full of them. Makes me shiver even now even though that was decades ago.
  - dekhn 3y ago
    Almost as bad as giant isopods. I'm fairly certain HP Lovecraft saw one and dreamed up the Deep One.
    - moehm 3y ago
      And here you can taste them. :) https://udn-com.translate.goog/news/story/7270/7205951?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=de&_x_tr_pto=wapp https://udn-com.translate.goog/news/story/7270/7205951?_x_tr...
- Anthony-G 3y ago
  The Wikipedia photograph is both spectacular, scary and very alien (to us terrestrial life-forms): https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Eunice_aphroditois.jpg https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Eunice_a... I can see where sci-fi/horror film-makers get their inspiration.
  - dekhn 3y ago
    oh my god, that birefringence is beautiful.
    - s0rce 3y ago
      I think its iridescence not birefringence, still pretty none the less
    - deleted 3y ago
      [deleted]
- pvaldes 3y ago
  If you like Eunice you'll love its 400 million years old ancestor from Canada, Websteroprion
- dtgriscom 3y ago
  The latter video (from the Smithsonian Channel) turned me off with its stereotypical "Male Announcer Emphatically Warning You Of Danger" voice. Would love to have the same video narrated by Paul Reubens, Emma Watson, or Barry White.
alberto_ol 3y ago
non mobile link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_Gippsland_earthworm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_Gippsland_earthworm
guerrilla 3y ago
That's pretty gross, but kind of what you'd expect> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5WVrtABlU4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5WVrtABlU4
monkeydreams 3y ago
This is why I shrugged when I misread this as "30cm worm fossil... found in Gippsland". I do love me the Karmais. It was a rare joy to see that their range had spread again a few years ago as they were (and still are) very close to extinct.

hyperific 3y ago

I should have known it'd be Australian.

notnmeyer 3y ago
haha, my thoughts exactly. went scanning through the wikipedia and saw it was austrailian, and thought, "oh, that makes sense".
monkeydreams 3y ago
Australian giant earthworms are larger than this by far.

ceejayoz 3y ago

Scarier ones exist: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eunice_aphroditois https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eunice_aphroditois They're terrifying in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_7ByiYbCYM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_7ByiYbCYM

ubermonkey 3y ago
These aren't scary to people DIRECTLY, but ISTR that they can be a SERIOUS problem in aquariums. There was a tale online a while back about an aquarium hobbyist who realized the coral he'd brought into his very fancy tank apparently had a bobbit in it, and how he eventually got it out. You can't just pull it out; apparently, it'll split, and then you have TWO of them. https://whyy.org/segments/liz-bobbit-worm/ https://whyy.org/segments/liz-bobbit-worm/ tl;dr: he got it out, but it was SEVEN FEET LONG.
- ceejayoz 3y ago
  I remember that thread! I briefly flirted with saltwater reef tanks before deciding it was way, way more than my ADHD-addled brain could take. Great summary of the key moments.
  - ubermonkey 3y ago
    There are several things in life that look really cool, but that I also know myself well enough to avoid. Saltwater aquariums are on that list.
- yreg 3y ago
  > apparently, it'll split, and then you have TWO of them. This sounds like a myth to me so I tried to confirm / debunk it. It seems that all the online reporting goes back to a story about a specimen found in Woking aquatics[0]. The store manager said that when the worm broke into three pieces, the head piece lived on and the middle piece moved around as well. I'm not confident that means that the middle piece grew a new head and continued to live. Can anyone here shed more light on this? [0] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-surrey-24523612.amp https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-surrey-24523612.amp edit: btw, the story linked by the parent is great
  - ceejayoz 3y ago
    It's certainly plausible. https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/local-news/bobbit-worms-split-sections-regenerate-6236955 https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/local-news/bobbit-worms-spl... > Marine biologist Dr Nicholas Higgs - who works at Plymouth University's Marine Institute and was a PhD student at the Natural History Museum in London - said: "Many species of bristle worm have the ability to regenerate parts of their body, even the head or tail.
- bluedino 3y ago
  This needs it's own submission.
gpderetta 3y ago
Well, another reminder that monsters do in fact exist. Worth its own HN submission?
- wharvle 3y ago
  All of life “beneath” humanity basically lives in a 24/7 horror movie, as far as I can tell. Humans only do so part-time.
  - brabel 3y ago
    The fact that most of us don't have to constantly worry of something bigger, stronger and faster than us snatching us at nigh to devour us or our families half alive is something we should be very, very thankful for. Our ancestors may have gone a bit overboard, which is why today there just isn't any predator near human habitation (with very few exceptions) and there's no giant predators at all, we killed them all.
    - jjtheblunt 3y ago
      What about the tiny predators of bacteria and virus sorts, and of course genetic aberrations with cancers? Tiny predators are the apex we generally are vulnerable in light of.
      - gamacodre 3y ago
        Those are more difficult, but we're in the process of killing them off too. As usual, without much regard to consequences.
    - throwup238 3y ago
      Forget predators, our ancestors were afraid of the weather. Just about anything in the world would kill them if they let it. /me goes off to chase tornadoes
      - s0rce 3y ago
yreg 3y ago
I was not prepared for this part: > The [worm] name is taken from the John and Lorena Bobbitt case. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_and_Lorena_Bobbitt https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_and_Lorena_Bobbitt
kruuuder 3y ago
Truly impressive images, but the foley sounds and music in that video are so idiotic.
cbsmith 3y ago
Ah, graboids.
- OrvalWintermute 3y ago
  Is that of the same genus as the Sarlacc?
  - cbsmith 3y ago
    Yes, Cinematicus genus. ;-)
derbOac 3y ago
One of my most hair-raising memories is dissecting marine worms. I remember a tub full of them. Makes me shiver even now even though that was decades ago.
- dekhn 3y ago
  Almost as bad as giant isopods. I'm fairly certain HP Lovecraft saw one and dreamed up the Deep One.
  - moehm 3y ago
    And here you can taste them. :) https://udn-com.translate.goog/news/story/7270/7205951?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=de&_x_tr_pto=wapp https://udn-com.translate.goog/news/story/7270/7205951?_x_tr...
Anthony-G 3y ago
The Wikipedia photograph is both spectacular, scary and very alien (to us terrestrial life-forms): https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Eunice_aphroditois.jpg https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Eunice_a... I can see where sci-fi/horror film-makers get their inspiration.
- dekhn 3y ago
  oh my god, that birefringence is beautiful.
  - s0rce 3y ago
    I think its iridescence not birefringence, still pretty none the less
  - deleted 3y ago
    [deleted]
pvaldes 3y ago
If you like Eunice you'll love its 400 million years old ancestor from Canada, Websteroprion
dtgriscom 3y ago
The latter video (from the Smithsonian Channel) turned me off with its stereotypical "Male Announcer Emphatically Warning You Of Danger" voice. Would love to have the same video narrated by Paul Reubens, Emma Watson, or Barry White.

alberto_ol 3y ago

non mobile link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_Gippsland_earthworm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_Gippsland_earthworm

guerrilla 3y ago

That's pretty gross, but kind of what you'd expect> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5WVrtABlU4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5WVrtABlU4

monkeydreams 3y ago

This is why I shrugged when I misread this as "30cm worm fossil... found in Gippsland". I do love me the Karmais. It was a rare joy to see that their range had spread again a few years ago as they were (and still are) very close to extinct.