Worms: Elongated
A worm is an "elongated" invertebrate soft-bodied animal. The
most widely known of all worms is the earthworm. The earthworm
is a member of phylum Annelida. A side from that famous worm
there are hundreds of thousands of different species of worms
that live in a huge array of differet habitats.
Major worm categories include: - Acanthocephala - spiny
headed worms
- Annelida - segmented worms
- Gnathostomulida
- jaw worms
- Chaetognatha - arrow worms
- Nemertea -
ribbonworms
- Nematoda - roundworms
- Nematomorpha -
horsehair worms
- Platyhelminthes - flatworms
- Onychophora
- velvet worms
- Sipuncula - peanut worms
Throughout
history worms have also beeen called helminths. This
was especially true in zoological or medical terminology. Some
insects such as larvae are often called worms. This Larvae
include: the railroad worm, woodworm, glowworm, and the
bloodworms.
Often times animals such as a dogs and cats, are sad to have
worms. This means that the dog or cat is infested with parasitic
worms. Parasitic worms are typically roundworms and tapeworms.
Each worm species differes in it's abilities to move around on
their own. Many worm species are bodied with no major muscles,
thus preventing them from moving around on their own. These
worms must be moved by external forces or other animals in their
environment. On the opposite of these species there are several
other species that have bodies with major muscles. These muscles
allow them to move about on their own. These worms are a type of
muscular hydrostat.