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Giant Earth Worm (Martiodrilus crassus) - closeup, Bellavista, Ecuador We were facing a lack of birds on a wide path around Bellavista, when Henriette spiced up things with an observation that put us in disbelief. Accustomed to earth worms being about 5-7 cm as commonly found in gardens, it&#039;s quite a shock to find one at about 1m length.<br />
<br />
This one measured between 80-100cm as it expands and contracts. Supposedly, they can grow up to 1.5m. They are described as sometimes coming out after heavy rain. Locals refer to these giant earth worms as &quot;Otonga&quot;, yet I&#039;m unsure if this is a group name or a species name.<br />
<br />
I have no idea how common they are, but for sure they are rarely photographed or shared online. Most platforms show zero reports, this is all I&#039;ve been able to find:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/alanharper/20317902940" rel="nofollow">https://www.flickr.com/photos/alanharper/20317902940</a><br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/saburosan/40772623483/in/photolist-257WmsX-wXqyFo" rel="nofollow">https://www.flickr.com/photos/saburosan/40772623483/in/photolist-257WmsX-wXqyFo</a><br />
<section class="video"><iframe width="448" height="282" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/kQtXriMDRvw?hd=1&autoplay=0&rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></section><br />
<figure class="photo"><a href="https://www.jungledragon.com/image/126850/giant_earth_worm_martiodrilus_crassus_bellavista_ecuador.html" title="Giant Earth Worm (Martiodrilus crassus), Bellavista, Ecuador"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.jungledragon.com/images/2/126850_thumb.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=05GMT0V3GWVNE7GGM1R2&Expires=1763596810&Signature=Q7IQ1QqXJZODOuYnmP9O1nli5Gc%3D" width="200" height="134" alt="Giant Earth Worm (Martiodrilus crassus), Bellavista, Ecuador We were facing a lack of birds on a wide path around Bellavista, when Henriette spiced up things with an observation that put us in disbelief. Accustomed to earth worms being about 5-7 cm as commonly found in gardens, it&#039;s quite a shock to find one at about 1m length.<br />
<br />
This one measured between 80-100cm as it expands and contracts. Supposedly, they can grow up to 1.5m. They are described as sometimes coming out after heavy rain. Locals refer to these giant earth worms as &quot;Otonga&quot;, yet I&#039;m unsure if this is a group name or a species name.<br />
<br />
I have no idea how common they are, but for sure they are rarely photographed or shared online. Most platforms show zero reports, this is all I&#039;ve been able to find:<br />
<br />
https://www.flickr.com/photos/alanharper/20317902940<br />
https://www.flickr.com/photos/saburosan/40772623483/in/photolist-257WmsX-wXqyFo<br />
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQtXriMDRvw<br />
https://www.jungledragon.com/image/126851/giant_earth_worm_martiodrilus_crassus_-_closeup_bellavista_ecuador.html<br />
https://www.jungledragon.com/image/126852/giant_earth_worm_martiodrilus_crassus_-_size_reference_bellavista_ecuador.html Bellavista Cloud Forest,Ecuador,Ecuador 2021,Geotagged,Martiodrilus crassus,South America,Spring,World" /></a></figure><br />
<figure class="photo"><a href="https://www.jungledragon.com/image/126852/giant_earth_worm_martiodrilus_crassus_-_size_reference_bellavista_ecuador.html" title="Giant Earth Worm (Martiodrilus crassus) - size reference, Bellavista, Ecuador"><img src="https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.jungledragon.com/images/2/126852_thumb.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=05GMT0V3GWVNE7GGM1R2&Expires=1763596810&Signature=Ttn4nvG%2FXYHQjgIXjFFLyqMJIH0%3D" width="200" height="120" alt="Giant Earth Worm (Martiodrilus crassus) - size reference, Bellavista, Ecuador We were facing a lack of birds on a wide path around Bellavista, when Henriette spiced up things with an observation that put us in disbelief. Accustomed to earth worms being about 5-7 cm as commonly found in gardens, it&#039;s quite a shock to find one at about 1m length.<br />
<br />
This one measured between 80-100cm as it expands and contracts. Supposedly, they can grow up to 1.5m. They are described as sometimes coming out after heavy rain. Locals refer to these giant earth worms as &quot;Otonga&quot;, yet I&#039;m unsure if this is a group name or a species name.<br />
<br />
I have no idea how common they are, but for sure they are rarely photographed or shared online. Most platforms show zero reports, this is all I&#039;ve been able to find:<br />
<br />
https://www.flickr.com/photos/alanharper/20317902940<br />
https://www.flickr.com/photos/saburosan/40772623483/in/photolist-257WmsX-wXqyFo<br />
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQtXriMDRvw<br />
https://www.jungledragon.com/image/126850/giant_earth_worm_martiodrilus_crassus_bellavista_ecuador.html<br />
https://www.jungledragon.com/image/126851/giant_earth_worm_martiodrilus_crassus_-_closeup_bellavista_ecuador.html Bellavista Cloud Forest,Ecuador,Ecuador 2021,Geotagged,Martiodrilus crassus,South America,Spring,World" /></a></figure> Bellavista Cloud Forest,Ecuador,Ecuador 2021,Geotagged,Martiodrilus crassus,South America,Spring,World Click/tap to enlarge Promoted

Giant Earth Worm (Martiodrilus crassus) - closeup, Bellavista, Ecuador

We were facing a lack of birds on a wide path around Bellavista, when Henriette spiced up things with an observation that put us in disbelief. Accustomed to earth worms being about 5-7 cm as commonly found in gardens, it's quite a shock to find one at about 1m length.

This one measured between 80-100cm as it expands and contracts. Supposedly, they can grow up to 1.5m. They are described as sometimes coming out after heavy rain. Locals refer to these giant earth worms as "Otonga", yet I'm unsure if this is a group name or a species name.

I have no idea how common they are, but for sure they are rarely photographed or shared online. Most platforms show zero reports, this is all I've been able to find:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/alanharper/20317902940
https://www.flickr.com/photos/saburosan/40772623483/in/photolist-257WmsX-wXqyFo


Giant Earth Worm (Martiodrilus crassus), Bellavista, Ecuador We were facing a lack of birds on a wide path around Bellavista, when Henriette spiced up things with an observation that put us in disbelief. Accustomed to earth worms being about 5-7 cm as commonly found in gardens, it's quite a shock to find one at about 1m length.<br />
<br />
This one measured between 80-100cm as it expands and contracts. Supposedly, they can grow up to 1.5m. They are described as sometimes coming out after heavy rain. Locals refer to these giant earth worms as "Otonga", yet I'm unsure if this is a group name or a species name.<br />
<br />
I have no idea how common they are, but for sure they are rarely photographed or shared online. Most platforms show zero reports, this is all I've been able to find:<br />
<br />
https://www.flickr.com/photos/alanharper/20317902940<br />
https://www.flickr.com/photos/saburosan/40772623483/in/photolist-257WmsX-wXqyFo<br />
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQtXriMDRvw<br />
https://www.jungledragon.com/image/126851/giant_earth_worm_martiodrilus_crassus_-_closeup_bellavista_ecuador.html<br />
https://www.jungledragon.com/image/126852/giant_earth_worm_martiodrilus_crassus_-_size_reference_bellavista_ecuador.html Bellavista Cloud Forest,Ecuador,Ecuador 2021,Geotagged,Martiodrilus crassus,South America,Spring,World

Giant Earth Worm (Martiodrilus crassus) - size reference, Bellavista, Ecuador We were facing a lack of birds on a wide path around Bellavista, when Henriette spiced up things with an observation that put us in disbelief. Accustomed to earth worms being about 5-7 cm as commonly found in gardens, it's quite a shock to find one at about 1m length.<br />
<br />
This one measured between 80-100cm as it expands and contracts. Supposedly, they can grow up to 1.5m. They are described as sometimes coming out after heavy rain. Locals refer to these giant earth worms as "Otonga", yet I'm unsure if this is a group name or a species name.<br />
<br />
I have no idea how common they are, but for sure they are rarely photographed or shared online. Most platforms show zero reports, this is all I've been able to find:<br />
<br />
https://www.flickr.com/photos/alanharper/20317902940<br />
https://www.flickr.com/photos/saburosan/40772623483/in/photolist-257WmsX-wXqyFo<br />
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQtXriMDRvw<br />
https://www.jungledragon.com/image/126850/giant_earth_worm_martiodrilus_crassus_bellavista_ecuador.html<br />
https://www.jungledragon.com/image/126851/giant_earth_worm_martiodrilus_crassus_-_closeup_bellavista_ecuador.html Bellavista Cloud Forest,Ecuador,Ecuador 2021,Geotagged,Martiodrilus crassus,South America,Spring,World

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Martiodrilus crassus is a giant earthworm in the Martiodrilus genus.

Similar species: Haplotaxida
Species identified by Ferdy Christant
View Ferdy Christant's profile

By Ferdy Christant

All rights reserved
Uploaded Jan 1, 2022. Captured Nov 7, 2021 11:06 in X8M9+JM Tandayapa, Ecuador.
  • NIKON D810
  • f/9.0
  • 1/60s
  • ISO64
  • 105mm