It’s taken years of searching, but researchers at the University of Idaho have finally discovered a very rare earthworm in the ground under the Palouse region of Idaho and Washington. As such, they’re calling it the giant Palouse earthworm, or Driloleirus americanus, one of the weirdest creatures I’ve ever read about. Even as underground monster species go, this is pretty strange.
For one thing, the giant Palouse earthworm is truly gigantic. Fully-grown adults are rumored to grow up to 3 feet long, though the specimen found was only about 9 or 10 inches long. The creature is also noted to spit at its enemies who invade its permanent underground burrow. Oh yeah, did I mention it kind of smells like lilies? Yeah, it’s supposed to smell like flowers. So you’ve got a giant, pinkish-white earthworm who spits, yet still smells like a pretty princess.
Even if it doesn’t reach 3 feet long as it did in the legend, it’s still pretty weird. Given that the creature has long been thought to be a cryptid, its mere existence is impressive! Then again, scientists are discovering cryptids all the time these days.
Tags: University of Idaho, giant Palouse earthworm, giant earthworm discovered, rare creatures, new species, underground monsters, Driloleirus americanus, giant spitting earthworm discovered, worm that smells like lilies
