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The Guardian
29-03-2025
- Science
- The Guardian
Magnificent, rare worm with its own campaign song: the giant Gippsland earthworm
The giant Gippsland earthworm already has an upbeat campaign song. 'I am a real worm, I am an actual worm,' bangs the chorus of Doctor Worm, a late-90s novelty hit by the American indie rock band They Might Be Giants. Of course, Gippsland's worms definitely are giants – some reportedly stretching as long as 2 to 3 metres. And they are actually earthworms, albeit magnificent ones. Their size is truly remarkable, says Dr Beverley Van Praagh, a species specialist. A garden variety earthworm might be the length of your finger, whereas an average giant Gippsland earthworm is longer than an outstretched arm, its body as thick as a thumb. 'To be really honest, little worms kind of freak me out,' she reveals, 'they're all squiggly and squirmy.' These earthworms don't move like that, she says, they move slowly and gracefully. Yet despite their immense size, a song is needed, as you won't see these introverted invertebrates on the campaign trail, if at all. Giant Gippsland earthworms live underground in burrows, in small, isolated colonies scattered across 40,000 hectares (98,842 acres) in south-eastern Australia, and rarely come to the surface. Experts prefer not to dig them up, as doing so causes harm. 'There's an old rumour that if you cut a worm in half, you get two worms,' says Simon Hinkley, the collection manager of terrestrial invertebrates at Museums Victoria Research Institute. Don't even think about doing that with a Gippsland giant, he warns. 'If you cut a giant Gippsland worm in half, or even nick it, it's not going to survive.' Instead, scientists study the species by stomping about on the surface and listening for the sucking and gurgling of live worms squelching through their subterranean tunnels. 'The worm in the burrow gets a fright, and pulls back, retracts back down its burrow to go deeper,' Hinkley says, producing a sound like water draining from the bath. 'As far as we know, nothing else makes that sound.' Sign up to Down to Earth The planet's most important stories. Get all the week's environment news - the good, the bad and the essential after newsletter promotion These curious noises inspired an early 'talkie' in 1931 featuring the giant worms, filmed near the village of Loch in Gippsland, Victoria. The lead was a 6ft specimen, which lifted its head inquiringly for the camera, according to newspaper reports at the time. Seventy-five years later they starred again, alongside Sir David Attenborough in Life in the Undergrowth, who declared them 'one of the rarest and most extraordinary of all earthworms'. These giants have little need for such notoriety. These elusive animals seem to prefer a humble life, a colony of one or two worms might occupy a patch of suitably moist slope or creek bank as small as 10 square metres. Hinkley says: 'Everything about them is big and slow.' The Gippsland worm is thought to live to more than 10 years, possibly even 20, and produce only one amber-coloured egg cocoon each year, which emerges about 12 months later as a 20cm-long big baby. Patient, gentle and understated. If this sounds the perfect antidote to 2025, catch the earworm and cast your vote for the giant Gippsland earthworm. Between 24 March and 2 April, we are profiling a shortlist of 10 of the invertebrates chosen by readers and selected by our wildlife writers from more than 2,500 nominations. The voting for our 2025 invertebrate of the year will run from midday on Wednesday 2 April until midday on Friday 4 April, and the winner will be announced on Monday 7 April.
The Guardian
03-03-2025
- Science
- The Guardian
Mysterious and vulnerable: the secret lives of Australia's giant worms
One of the world's largest worms might escape notice, if not for the loud gurgling noises that can be heard coming from underground as the species burrows and squelches through its moist clay. The giant Gippsland earthworm, a purple and pink colossus that lives in a small, wet patch about 100km east of Melbourne in south-east Australia, reportedly stretches as long as 2 to 3 metres. These slow-moving and graceful giants, according to species specialist Dr Beverley Van Praagh, are quite unlike the 'squiggly and squirmy' garden variety, which Guardian readers crowned UK invertebrate of the year in 2024. Even an average sized individual would eclipse the UK's largest recorded specimen, a 40cm-long lob worm named Dave found in a Cheshire vegetable patch. Worm researchers such as Van Praagh say it is challenging to study an animal that lives underground, even one so immense. She said the main way to detect them was to stomp about on the surface, and listen out for the distinctive sound – like water draining from a bath – of a startled worm retracting deeper underground. Sometimes researchers look for evidence of burrows, complex tunnels with rippled sides, according to Simon Hinkley, the collection manager of terrestrial invertebrates at the Museums Victoria Research Institute. They might find a cocoon, shaped like a cocktail sausage, where the worms laid a single egg that produced one large baby – about 20cm long – after a year. Egg cocoons were a beautiful amber colour, he said. 'And if you hold them up to the light, you can actually see there's one worm inside.' Sorry your browser does not support audio - but you can download here and listen $ Extreme care has to be taken when digging, as these are vulnerable creatures. If you accidentally nick a giant worm it bleeds, and is unlikely to survive, Hinkley says. Anecdotal accounts describe 'horrific' scenes of fields running 'red with blood' when the worm's habitat was first cleared and ploughed. The gentle giants remain in small, isolated colonies, but as a long-lived species that produce few young, and continue to be threatened by changes to the water table, soil disturbance and excavation. Dr Pat Hutchings, a senior fellow at the Australian Museum, said Australia had a huge diversity of worms, including many endemic species and several giants found on land, in sand and under the sea. Hutchings specialises in sea worms, known as polychaetes. She described one large specimen, measuring at least 1 metre long, found in sediments under shallow waters about 180km north of Sydney. The species was named Eunice dharastii after the fisheries scientist Dr Dave Harasti, who managed to entice the iridescent worm out of its underwater tube by dangling an offering of fish head over the burrow. Hutchings said another sea worm species, found in the Kimberley region of northern Australia, was long enough to be slung around her neck like a feather boa. Hutchings said even though worms might be gathered together as one group of animals, they were incredibly diverse in their forms, behaviour and reproductive strategies. 'We've got this amazing biodiversity in Australia,' she said, including thousands of worm species. There just weren't enough worm scientists yet to describe them. The Guardian is asking readers to nominate species for the second annual invertebrate of the year competition. Read more about it and make your suggestions here or via the form below. You can tell us which species you would like to nominate by filling in the form below. Please include as much detail as possible. Your contact details are helpful so we can contact you for more information. They will only be seen by the Guardian. Your contact details are helpful so we can contact you for more information. They will only be seen by the Guardian.
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Aussie fossils reveal historic discovery
A landmark discovery has revealed the previously-unknown existence of a large apex predator on the prehistoric Australian continent and uncovered a predator hierarchy unique to the region. The research describes five theropod fossils discovered between 1988 and 2023 in Bunurong/Boonwurrung Country (Bass Coast) and the Eastern Marr Country (Otway Coast). Theropods are classified as carnivorous dinosaurs that are able to walk on two legs with hollow, thin-walled bones and usually small forelimbs – the tyrannosaurus is a famous example. The formal identification of the fossils was led by Monash University PhD candidate Jake Kotevski and the Museums Victoria Research Institute It shows that Victoria's ancient ecosystem was dominated by large powerful megaraptorids (6–7 metres long) alongside smaller carcharodontosaurs (2–4 metres long) and agile, metre-long unenlagiines, or 'southern raptors'. The discovery marks the first evidence of carcharodontosaurs in Australia's dinosaur record and is significant for contribution to the global theropod fossil record. 'The discovery of carcharodontosaurs in Australia is groundbreaking,' Mr Kotevski said. 'It's fascinating to see how Victoria's predator hierarchy diverged from South America, where carcharodontosaurs reached Tyrannosaurus rex-like sizes up to 13 metres, towering over megaraptorids. Here, the roles were reversed, highlighting the uniqueness of Australia's Cretaceous ecosystem.' Two of the newly-described fossils represent the oldest known megaraptorids globally. 'Museum collections are crucial to advancing our understanding of prehistoric life', vertebrate palaeontology collection manager at Museums Victoria Research Institute Tim Ziegler said. 'Specimens preserved in the State Collection for decades – unidentifiable until now – are providing new insights into the evolution of dinosaur ecosystems'. The findings highlight Victoria's unique Cretaceous fauna and offer 'compelling evidence of faunal interchange' between Australia and South America through Antarctica during the Early Cretaceous,' senior curator at Museums Victoria Research Institute Dr Thomas Rich said. Key fossil sites are still being surveyed by Mr Kotevski and the team as part of Monash's Dinosaur Dreaming project. It has uncovered more than 10,000 fossil bones and teeth since the project began in 1994 – including at least seven different dinosaurs, three groups of mammals, birds, pterosaurs, plesiosaurs, turtles and fishes.
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Double jackpot: Australia finds oldest megaraptor along with new dinosaur fossils
Paleontologists have uncovered fossils of not one but two apex predator groups coexisting in ancient Victoria, Australia. First, they have identified the oldest megaraptorid fossils ever found, pushing back the known timeline for this group of theropods. Second, experts have uncovered the first definitive evidence of another theropod group, "carcharodontosaurs," in Australia. These discoveries, unearthed along Victoria's stunning coastline, paint a vivid picture of a Cretaceous ecosystem unlike any other. The fossil study was led by Museums Victoria Research Institute and Monash University. Five theropod dinosaur fossils were discovered in two locations in Victoria: the upper Strzelecki Group (121.4-118 million years old) and the Eumeralla Formation (113-108 million years old). Theropods were a diverse group of bipedal, mostly carnivorous dinosaurs like Tyrannosaurus rex. The discovered fossils reveal that Victoria's ancient ecosystem was a complex predator landscape. Megaraptorids, reaching 6-7 meters in length, were the apex predators. These were a group of medium to large-sized theropod dinosaurs that lived during the Cretaceous period. These dinosaurs possessed sickle-shaped claws on their second toe, which were likely used for slashing and tearing prey. Alongside the dominant megaraptorids, the ancient Victorian ecosystem also included smaller carcharodontosaurs, which ranged from 2 to 4 meters in length. In South America, carcharodontosaurs were the giants, unlike in Australia. 'The discovery of carcharodontosaurs in Australia is groundbreaking,' said Jake Kotevski, PhD student. 'It's fascinating to see how Victoria's predator hierarchy diverged from South America, where carcharodontosaurs reached Tyrannosaurus rex-like sizes up to 13 metres, towering over megaraptorids. Here, the roles were reversed, highlighting the uniqueness of Australia's Cretaceous ecosystem,' Kotevski added. The ecosystem was also home to agile, meter-long unenlagiines, sometimes called "southern raptors." These smaller, more lightly built dinosaurs were likely swift hunters, possibly specializing in smaller prey. The discovery of two of these fossils as the oldest known megaraptorids worldwide is a significant find. It pushes back the timeline of when these predators roamed the Earth and gives insights into their evolution. Furthermore, the presence of these ancient megaraptorids in Australia, along with other theropod species, suggests that Australia's dinosaur fauna played a vital role in the larger Gondwanan ecosystem. 'The findings not only expand Australia's theropod fossil record but offer compelling evidence of faunal interchange between Australia and South America through Antarctica during the Early Cretaceous. The findings also challenge previous assumptions about body-size hierarchies in Gondwanan predator ecosystems highlighting Victoria's unique Cretaceous fauna,' explained Thomas Rich, senior curator of vertebrate paleontology at Museums Victoria Research Institute. The study demonstrates that museum collections are essential for scientific breakthroughs. Some of these fossils, hidden away for decades, are now filling the gaps in the dinosaur puzzle. Under the Dinosaur Dreaming project, the research team will continue to explore fossil sites where the large megaraptorid was found. As per the press release, this project has already yielded over 10,000 fossils, representing diverse prehistoric life, including dinosaurs, mammals, birds, pterosaurs, plesiosaurs, turtles, and fish. The findings were published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.
The Independent
20-02-2025
- Science
- The Independent
Giant ‘megaraptor' dinosaur species discovered in Australia
Giant 20-foot-long raptor dinosaurs once roamed Australia, according to a new study that could rewrite the evolutionary history and hierarchy of predators on the continent. The research, published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology on Thursday, identifies five new species of four-legged dinosaurs whose fossils were unearthed from Victoria's coastline. Researchers excavated dinosaur shin bones and vertebrae at two fossil sites in Victoria – the upper Strzelecki Group dated to 121 million years ago and the Eumeralla Formation from about 113 million years ago. The fossils provide unique insights into an ancient Australian ecosystem dominated by powerful 'megaraptor' dinosaurs measuring 6-7 metres in length. Two of the new megaraptor species are the oldest known globally and shed light on the evolutionary history of the group that includes the iconic velociraptor made famous by Jurassic Park films. The latest study highlights the role played by Australia 's dinosaurs in the ecosystems of the ancient world, a large part of which was clustered into the giant supercontinent Gondwanaland. These 'megaraptorids' lived alongside the smaller 'carcharodontosaurs', which were 2-4 metres long, as well as the even smaller but more agile 'unenlagiines' or 'southern raptors'. 'Two megaraptorid specimens from the upper Strzelecki Group demonstrate that this clade had achieved large body size at the time of its first appearance in the fossil record,' scientists said. Jake Kotevski, a co-author of the study, called the latest discovery 'groundbreaking' due to the unique insights it offers into Australia's ecosystem during the Cretaceous era between 145 and 65 million years ago. 'It's fascinating to see how Victoria's predator hierarchy diverged from South America, where carcharodontosaurs reached Tyrannosaurus rex -like sizes up to 13 metres, towering over megaraptorids,' Mr Kotevski said. 'Here, the roles were reversed, highlighting the uniqueness of Australia's Cretaceous ecosystem.' The new study offers 'compelling evidence' for the interchange of animals between Australia and South America via Antarctica during the Early Cretaceous era, scientists said. It also highlights the key contributions of community volunteers working alongside seasoned researchers to further understanding of Australia's dinosaurs. 'The findings also challenge previous assumptions about body-size hierarchies in Gondwanan predator ecosystems highlighting Victoria's unique Cretaceous fauna,' said Thomas Rich, senior curator of vertebrate palaeontology at Museums Victoria Research Institute.
