Hermie, the GIANT earthworm

myminifactory

Hermie at full scale is a diameter of 20mm or three-quarters of an inch in size, and as long as you want it to be, with 48 regular segments making him approximately 65cm overall or just over two feet in length. You will also need some .5mm elastic bead-cord and a small hook or piece of wire to put Hermie together. Print him out in color or paint him like I did. Some interesting earthworm facts that I learned while creating this model include: - In one acre of land, you can find more than a million earthworms. - The largest earthworm ever found was in South Africa and measured 22 feet from its nose to the tip of its tail. - Earthworms have the ability to replace or replicate lost segments. This ability varies greatly depending on the species of worm you have, the amount of damage to the worm and where it is cut. - Baby worms do not get born; they hatch from cocoons that are smaller than a grain of rice. - Even though worms don't have eyes, they can sense light, especially at their anterior or front end. They move away from light and will become paralyzed if exposed to light for too long (approximately one hour). - If a worm's skin dries out, it will die because it breathes through its skin. - Worms are hermaphrodites. Each worm has both male and female organs. - Worms can eat their weight each day. - Worms have five hearts. Assembly: 1) Tie .5mm elastic cord around the eye at the bottom of Hermie's head. 2) Thread pieces onto cord (except for the butt). Put about 4-5 regular segments between the head and the clitellum or puffy-bit. 3) Stretch cord firmly to determine length, and tie end to hook. The hook should be tightly against the body at this point, holding pieces together firmly with a bit of stretch left. 4) Attach hook to butt (see photo).