Sometimes, you’ll just randomly think about worms. While they are not the most attractive animals, they can be a source of curiosity for us. For instance, since they thrive and multiply, you’ll probably wonder if they mate. In fact, you may even ask:
Do worms and earthworms have genders? Yes, worms and earthworms have genders. In fact, they have two. All worms have both male and female sexual organs, and so, in essence, they are male and female at the same time. While they have both organs, they still need a partner worm to fertilize their eggs.
Worms are fascinating animals, and so it’s interesting to realize they can all get pregnant and get another worm pregnant. If you want to know more about their gender, read on.
This article includes a rundown of the questions you may ask about the worms and their gender.
Let’s get into it!
Contents
Are there girl and boy worms?
Worms are hermaphrodites, which means they have both male and female organs. For this reason, all worms are both girls and boys at the same time.
With this in mind, you may wonder if they can reproduce on their own. In simple terms, you may ask if they can bear offspring without a partner.
The short answer is no. Worms cannot reproduce on their own. While they have both male and female organs, they still need a partner and mate to bear offspring.
Worms mate with another worm by joining their clitella and exchanging sperm. Afterward, each worm forms an egg capsule in its clitellum.
In essence, worms need a partner to mate, but they would both get pregnant once they do.
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How many genders do worms have?
Unlike us, worms are hermaphrodites, which means they have two genders, male and female.
Both worms have male and female sexual organs. Such parts are in segments 9 to 15 of their bodies.
While they have both male and female organs, they still need a partner and mate to bear offspring.
Worms mate with a partner by joining their clitella and exchanging sperm. Afterward, each worm forms an egg capsule in its clitellum.
In essence, worms need a partner to mate, but they would both get pregnant once they do.
A pregnant worm is also easy to determine amidst a swarm. A pregnant worm usually comes with a white bump in its body. Such a part is what we call clitellum, and that is where worms carry the cocoon until they release it for hatching.
Can worms love themselves?
If love for worms means mating, then no, they can’t love themselves. While they can be both male and female, they can’t love themselves or mate independently.
Worms still need a partner to mate and reproduce. In short, they must pair with another one for successful reproduction.
Once they find a partner, they would rub their bodies against each other. This process would allow them to transfer sperm to each other to produce a cocoon.
Thus, in general, a single worm may have both male and female organs. However, it won’t reproduce unless it mates with another worm.
Another thing to note is that they do mate often. Worms reproduce more frequently than other animals. In fact, they can double their population every 60 days or two months.
The breeding cycle of worms takes about 27 days. Those days already include the whole process, from mating to laying eggs.
It would take 3-6 weeks before the eggs or cocoons start hatching. It can be longer or shorter depending on certain conditions.
Do worms have families?
Since worms come from two parents, they have families, but they don’t tend to flock like other animals.
Like ants, they have holes where they stay. However, they don’t live in colonies.
They can interact with each other through their senses, but they don’t have a specific structure where they play a particular role.
Earthworms live in places with moist soil and dead plant material. They can grow in numbers, especially in rainforest areas.
However, they don’t act as one family. Worms live through senses, and they tend to burrow and take on nutrients.
Worms also don’t have any hierarchy, which makes coordination a bit impossible.
Still, they interact with each other to mate, and they rub their bodies to transfer sperm cells to fertilize the egg cells.
Summary
Worms are fascinating animals, and one factor about that is having two sexual organs, a male and a female. Thus, in essence, they are male and female at the same time. Still, while they have both organs, they need a partner worm to fertilize their eggs.
It’s also why even though they have both organs, they can’t reproduce independently. They don’t have any structure like other animals that live in colonies, but they interact with each other as they mate.
Further, they tend to stay together since the only place they can visit are the areas where there is moist soil.
Resources
Image credits – Canva
