Purpose: The purpose of this experiment is to understand and become more familiar with the system, anatomy, and structure of an earthworm. The earthworm is an invertebrate from the phylum Annelida genus Lumbricus (Wile). Earthworms inhabit anywhere where there is moisture, oxygen and an appropriate temperature (Worm Facts). They are usually around 7 to 8 cm long but can be as large as a snake going on to 14 inches (National Geographic Kids). Earthworms burrow through the ground, creating tunnels to allow gasses, such as oxygen, to pass through the ground and help plants breathe through their roots. In order to burrow through all the dirt they eat it commencing through their mouth and it is then digested, first it is stored inside the crop, …show more content…
From the video the posterior end appeared to be paler than the anterior end, as well as the belly of the earthworm was paler than the other side. The setae felt rough but the clitellum was smooth and bulgier then the rest of the worm. There was a dark line that traveled across the entire earthworm beginning a bit before the clitellum. The pharynx was found as a bulge near the mouth of the earthworm and was pale. The next big bulge was very thin and it was the crop and beside it was a thicker muscular bulge that was the gizzard. The intestine traveled from the gizzard throughout the rest of the earthworm towards the anus. There was also a black substance inside the intestine which was dirt that the worm had eaten. Then near the pharynx was a bunch of yellow lobes which were the seminal vesicles, and there were two tiny balls which were the female receptacles. Underneath the yellow lobes, the seminal vesicles, was a dark spot which were rings called the aortic arches. The dorsal blood vessel could also be seen starting by the aortic arches and running throughout the rest of the body. The ventral blood vessel, nephridia and ganglia were not