Tags
ecuador giant worm, giant earthworm, hoppy hopkins, Parque Nacional Sumaco Napo-Galeras, stephen hopkins
(Ecuador) – My friend Stephen Hopkins is forever playing pranks, so I laughed when I saw this image. “Clever use of perspective! You did a great job making a simple earthworm look like a monster worm!”
But wait; I examined the photos and pondered, “This isn’t a joke, is it? You truly found a worm that big? Tell me more!” Here’s Stephen’s story:
Hello friends of Lisa and fans of PlayaMart: Lisa has offered to help publicize my quest to identify a …. Ok it’s a WORM. (See picture.)
Here is my story. Office work really isn’t my thing. I like to get my hands and feet into the business of being alive. It was on one of my jungle jaunts that I had the opportunity to find and photograph an exceptionally large earthworm in the foothills of the Sumaco Volcano. The Parque Nacional Sumaco Napo-Galeras (Ecuador) is a pristine tropical rain forest that is a biotic wonder and bit off the beaten path. The place is worm heaven.
My guide and I waded up to our knees in mud and muck for the three hours it took to make it from the little outpost of Pacto Sumaco just to the edge of the national park. On the return slog we found the worm half hidden under a rotten log. He called it a “cuica” (Quechua Language) I called it amazing.
I just had to know more about this giant. Now one would think that an unusually large ~1.5 meter worm with the girth of a man’s forearm would be well catalogued in the dusty halls of Ecuador’s natural science centers. Well, apparently, not so much. I had a monster and mystery on my hands. I contacted the world’s worm experts (Wormologists?).
Some accused me of photo-shopping the picture Loch Ness style. (Squirmy is real, I swear.) The more open-minded have indicated that, yes indeed, it is a very large worm and possibly undescribed specie. Awesome.
I am trying to find a scientific name for my hermaphroditic friend… and, maybe a home. After all the Loch Ness has a castle. So spread the word and pass around Squirmy’s picture.
Stories, legends, mythology, pictures, artwork, superstitions, anecdotes, fantasies, and all manner of useful scientific information are welcome.
Thanks,
Stephen Hopkins SaveTheDamnPlanet
You can reach me at hoppy4840@gmail.com
(Stephen divides his time between the USA, Costa Rica and Ecuador. )
OK Amigos! Lob this to anyone that might supply some feedback about the mystery worm! Creative writing geniuses, pen a fun story about this legendary creature!
Good luck, Stephen! I hope this helps! Z
Vladimir Brezina said:
!! 🙂
Playamart - Zeebra Designs said:
that’s one big worm, isn’t it?!
petchary said:
Astonishing! An entomologist I guess! No, it’s not really an insect…is it? Too big!!
Playamart - Zeebra Designs said:
hahahahaha—jajajjajajaja! no, it’s not quite an insect!
thanks amiga! z
heila2013 said:
COOL!
Gallivanta said:
Incredible!
btg5885 said:
I am reminded of the movie “Dune” for some reason.
emilievardaman said:
YIKES!!!
Midwestern Plant Girl said:
Are there local colleges or extension type programs to consult? I’ve only taken a few entomology classes, but they also were about the species here in US. That is one hellava big worm!
johnandmarylivingitupinecuador said:
Did some googling and from what I read they are fairly common in the amazon and lowlands. Becoming extinct in some areas because they’re excellent fishing bait…duh. 🙂 I did NOT watch the video (sorry).. Mary
Playamart - Zeebra Designs said:
jajajajjajajajajja= i don’t blame you for avoiding the video! z
Stephen Hopkins said:
Hello JohnandMary:
Yes, fishing and farming are two things that are causing a demise in the large-bodied worm population. Please send me your web source references that you found on Amazonian worms. hoppy4840@gmail.com
Thank you,
Stephen
artscottnet said:
yikes!
Bluejellybeans said:
Wow! Amazing… I will ask around to see if somebody knows what is that! 🙂
Bluejellybeans said:
Probable not the same creature, but similar. http://museumvictoria.com.au/discoverycentre/infosheets/giant-gippsland-earthworm/
😉
Playamart - Zeebra Designs said:
hey!
thanks! that’s a great dollop of information! stephen might know about this, but it’s surely new to me!!!
z
Stephen Hopkins said:
Hello Blue:
The Giant Gippsland Earthworm is our Ecuadoran worm’s Australian anorexic cousin. There are documented worms in Australia and Africa that are longer than Squirmy but none with his/her girth. Thank you for the info. Stephen
Bluejellybeans said:
Yes, I noticed 😉
Liberty of Thinking said:
Oh, that’s a wormoid:-D
Just paraphrased a bit from “Tremors”:-D
Playamart - Zeebra Designs said:
hmmm, many of you have mentioned tremors.. i’ve not seen that movie!
Liberty of Thinking said:
But did anyone propose “wormoids”? Hmmmmmmm?:-D
I Am Jasmine Kyle said:
OMG NO NO NO NO I’m NEVER GOING! NEVER OMG I can’t put my feet on the floor!!! IT’s like TREMORS!!!! OMG
Mary said:
Nope, makes my skin crawl – sorry somethings I can’t do, snakes are one of them.
Mary said:
I meant earthworm – might as well be a snake.
Playamart - Zeebra Designs said:
jajajaja-hahahahaha! i wonder if it has something to do with the name, ‘mary,’ — you with snakes and mary here with spiders!
Mary said:
So funny, but I’m just not too good with these sorts of things – even though I’m working in the yard every weekend. But that worm beats anything I’ve ever heard about ~
Stephen Hopkins said:
These worms migrate quite some distances sometimes crossing streams and dirt roads. And, yes people do sometimes mistake them for a snake. There is also a class of legless amphibians here in Ec that can grow to 2 meters. Squirmy is harmless.
Rewired and Retired in Nicaragua said:
I’m no wormologist, but that monster could be used to bait one heck of a giant fish. Amazing!
Playamart - Zeebra Designs said:
jajajaja.. yes, you might hook nessie in that primordial lake in your front yard!
great post re: teachers – this week. more when i get home! z
elenacaravela said:
Wow! looks like a giant earthworm!
travelerlynne said:
What an interesting person you introduced us to, Lisa. That worm is incredible. I’m sure its got a name. We spent some time along the Napo. Quite a beautiful and yes, wild area.
Playamart - Zeebra Designs said:
yes, stephen is a very colorful person, and he is also a serious naturalist who knows a lot about flora and fauna. i hope that this post helps him find answers! z
babso2you said:
How many fish can I catch using one of those things? 🙂 Every the fishing queen!
I think that what he found is called a “Caecilian.” Here is the link to a San Diego Zoo article on this amphibian…
http://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/caecilian
Stephen Hopkins said:
Hello babs: No, not a caecilian. Note the tail end that I am holding in the photo. Yep, this is REALLY a worm. Thus far wormologists have narrowed Squirmy down to the sub-class, Oligochaetes which are well-segmented worms including earthworms. Caecilian’s are amphibians and here in Ecuador they can reach lengths of 2+ meters.
To the many fans of PlayaMart, I do appreciate all your suggestions.
Stephen
Playamart - Zeebra Designs said:
hey stephpen and babs!
just got home sweet home..
babs, thanks so much for the info. i enjoyed pulling up the info and reading it offline as i traveled yesterday.
stephen, maybe someone will eventually connect some more dots and we find more info.. perhaps in some inkan glyphs?!!!!
Madhu said:
Wow! Looks like an overfed earthworm!!!! But Babso2you seems to have nailed it 🙂
Stephen Hopkins said:
Hello Madhu:
Please read my response to babso2you. Stephen
LuAnn said:
An earthworm on steroids…who would have thought?! 🙂
Lugar and Company said:
Wow! Lisa, that is soooo amazing! Thank you for sharing and I hope that you are doing well and painting a lot!
shoreacres said:
I just was talking earthworms with an ecologist in the northeastern US. I’ll send this over to him – he was making knowledgeable noises about the way the movement of the glaciers and such aeons ago affected the distribution of earthworms in the US. Anyone who’s got that kind of information might know more.
I did use “nightcrawlers” for fishing in Iowa, and my first biology dissection was an earthworm, but… nothing like this.
I have seen “Tremors”, and I swear that thing looks like it could have been typecast. I don’t have any personal info, but I did find this site that has some of its cousins. The blue one’s nice. 😉 (Scroll down to #5 on the disgusting creature list.)
Playamart - Zeebra Designs said:
what an interesting link! thanks, i enjoyed looking at all of those unique creatures! stephen will be grateful for any leads!
Stephen Hopkins said:
Hello shoreacres:
Let me know if your contact “ecologist in the northeast” is interested in worms. He may have some useful information we may be able to use to ID Squirmy. Thank you, Stephen. hoppy4840@gmail.com
shoreacres said:
He seems to be out of pocket just now – he tends to take off into the woods from time to time – but I’ll keep after it.
Abrahama Zelyenik said:
so what happened? what is it?
shoreacres said:
Haven’t heard a word. I’ll send off another email & see what happens. My gosh, time does fly!
Playamart - Zeebra Designs said:
hey both of you! thanks, and i am going to lob this to stephen…
this past week ‘a reddit’ ‘name that bug’ site picked up stephens’s photos, and the links and searches have kept this post sizzling.. who would have thought?!!!
jacksjottings said:
All JIm Staffords songs are fantastic I can not remember the name of the one about filling in the swamp land, you would like that one. I have it in my collection so will dig it out one day and give you the name.
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Playamart - Zeebra Designs said:
Hey.. I’m heading there now! Thank you so much! z
Abrahama Zelyenik said:
so, did anyone ever figure out what type of worm this is?
Playamart - Zeebra Designs said:
i don’t think that stephen made much more progress. the reddit site amused both of us because of the people trying to figure out if the image was photoshopped or not! the perspective might make it look a bit larger than real life, but it was definitely a normal photo taken in the field!
lisa/z
biobanco said:
We´ve found the same giant worms in the opposite side of the Ecuadorian Andes, in the zone of Molleturo in Azuay, back in 1992.
Playamart - Zeebra Designs said:
thank you so much for your comment! i have lobbed this to stephen, who also shared this link¿
http://www.eluniverso.com/vida-estilo/2014/08/03/nota/3308546/que-hallo-lombrices-gigantes-stephen-hopkins-ha-visitado-pacto