Earthworms on a Scottish Island Are Huge

Scotland, home to golf, whisky, Annie Lennox, and various other matters of culture, also seems to have some extraordinarily large earthworms.

That is, one Scottish island, called Rum, has the United Kingdom's largest earthworms, says a recent study.They can reach 15 inches, or well over a foot in length, as an article in BBC News reported. 

What's more, researchers from the University of Central Lancashire in Preston recently published findings noting that the common earthworm variety Lumbricus terrestris on the island is three times the length and weight of any average earthworm. 

According to the study, this large-worm situation has resulted from fertile soil and a real absence of predators.

Those and other "optimum conditions" also mean that worms on Rum might live up to 10 years, whereas worms living in other parts of the U.K. typically live a more worm-like two years.

The study began after Kevin Butt at the University of Central Lancashire noticed very large worm burrows on Rum in 2005. The investigations took place in 2006 and 2011, and the findings were recently published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal The Glasgow Naturalist.

There's hope for more big worms, too, says Butt in the article: "We're also looking forward to exploring more rural areas in the UK and abroad, in the hope that we will make more exciting discoveries like this."

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