The first reaction to the question: "The longest animal, what?", I want to answer - a giraffe. After thinking a bit, you remember about the whale. Some might argue that there is a blue jellyfish, which is even bigger. These are all misconceptions. Without any doubt, worms will be the record holders in size.
Until the end of the 18th century, a fairly large type of animal kingdom was classified under this name. Later, zoologists disbanded it and created a number of new types.
Worm Classification
Today, the kingdom of Animals includes a large group, under the general name - Primorotors, which do not form a separate rank. What is called worms is united by 8 types. Among them - Volosatiki, Priapulida, Sipunkulida, as well as Gnostostomulida with Screbs, are of little interest to us. But the remaining 3 are worth paying attention to:
- Ringed, has 18 thousand species. Habitat - the thickness of the earth and water. A bisexual animal with the possibility of hermaphroditism, moreover, can multiply by division. They live in almost all corners of the globe, with the exception of Antarctica. There are species that can live at a depth of 10-11 km.
- Flat, described 18 thousand species. They can be free-living or parasitic. The former are predominantly predators. The second ones are fed either by absorption through the oral opening, or absorb nutrients throughout the body.
- Round or nematodes include 24 thousand species. Modern zoologists believe that this is an insignificant part of the existing ones on earth. They adapted to living almost everywhere. Found at the deepest ocean depths and as parasites in almost all animals and plants.
Rain monsters
Everyone knows earthworms. These garden workers do not tire of plowing the land, constantly engaged in its aeration. Few people dealt with the question - what are the largest earthworms. In the world, perhaps, there is no site where these ringed animals do not meet. Under favorable conditions, live up to 10 years. Only in the sixth year, this individual is able to lay eggs. Larvae appear after another year. All this time they are growing. On the Australian continent there are 3 meter giants. Photos, the largest in the world, earthworms are simply amazing. At first glance, they can be confused with a snake.
Flatworms
Against the background of their fellow flat, even the largest worms in the world such as Ringed, simply look like dwarfs. For example, the tape Lineus longissimus reaches 60 meters. If you compare the photo of the largest worm in the world with a blue whale, the latter will be half as much. Even the famous hairy jellyfish is far from that size. This is only one of the representatives of the largest worms in the world - nemerthine. A total of 1300 species are described. But it is obvious that scientists are still awaiting amazing discoveries. Nemerthins live in the ocean at great depths. Only by the middle of the 18th century were scientists able to describe them. In addition to water depths, tapeworms lead a parasitic lifestyle.
Wide ribbon
Medicine knows the fact when 17-meter-long worms were extracted from the human body. And this is not the biggest worm in man.
The photo of such a giant is amazing. A wide ribbon can live up to 20 years, constantly increasing in size. The carrier is deprived of the opportunity to live normally, his body is exhausted to the limit. Infection most often occurs through poorly processed fish.
Bull tapeworm
Another large subject can settle in the human body. The largest worm in the Teniid family - Bull tapeworm grows up to 10 meters. The parasite settles in the small intestine, causing an unpleasant disease teniarinhoz. Over its life, an animal is able to lay about 11 billion eggs. Fortunately, they cannot develop in the human body, for this they need another carrier - cattle. After the first stage of development, he again returns to man through the meat of the animal. The cycle closes.
Pork tapeworm
The third place in the ranking of the largest worms in the world, parasitizing in humans, has pork tapeworm. There are worms 3 meters long. A relative of the previous two animals, he uses pigs with rabbits, as well as camels for intermediate development. Through their meat, the main carrier is infected. The final owner will be the man. The worm settles in the stomach of the carrier. This parasite can pass the first stage of development, also without leaving the main host. In this case, the disease causes teniosis or cysticercosis. For the prevention of the disease, it is worth observing personal hygiene and eating meat that has undergone high-quality heat treatment.
Nematodes
Nematodes can argue for the title of the largest worms in the world with nemerthins. Even more mysterious creatures. Today, no one will definitely say how many species live on earth. Worms are capable of parasitizing absolutely on any animal, even the simplest ones did not escape the fate of being donors of nematodes. For the plant world, these parasites also pose a significant danger. The sizes of nematodes vary from several tens of microns to several meters. The largest worms in the world of this type settle in whales and reach eight and a half meters. Nematodes in humans are localized in all organs, which distinguishes them from tape parasites.
Guinean worm
A very unpleasant animal lives in the tropics - Whelp. The worm enters a person through water, gnaws at the intestinal wall and settles in various organs. After reaching puberty, females move to the subcutaneous tissue.
Once a person is near the water, leaning out, the worm ejects numerous larvae. With age, such animals grow up to 80 cm. Numerous, easily opening abscesses form on the human body, which cause unpleasant itching and serve as the site of penetration of a secondary infection.
