AnimalsEarthworms tunnel through the soil, swallowing earth and dead leaves. Their burrows let in air and water, and their droppings enrich the soil. They have no eyes or lungs and breathe through their damp skin.
Quick facts
- Scientific name
- Lumbricus terrestris
- Group
- Invertebrates
- Diet
- Herbivore (eats plants)
- Lives in
- Europe, and many other countries
- Habitat
- Soil
- A young one is called
- hatchling
- A group is called
- no special name
- Conservation status
- No category in our data
How it is classified
Scientists sort living things into groups within groups. Reading down, each step is a smaller group, ending with the species itself.
- Kingdom Animalia
- Phylum Annelida
- Class Clitellata
- Order Crassiclitellata
- Family Lumbricidae
- Genus Lumbricus
- Species Lumbricus terrestris
Classification follows the GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Other reference works arrange some groups differently. How classification works.
Is it in danger?
No Red List category for the earthworm was found in our data source. What the categories mean.