Won't Somebody Think of the Giant Earthworms?

The large, white worm at the top is the giant Palouse earthworm, Driloleirus americanus. Below is the southern worm or Aporrectodea trapezoides, which is considered an introduced species. Photo by Yaniria Sanchez-de Leon/University of Idaho © 2005

The giant Palouse earthworm was thought to be extinct until a few sightings over the past decade, including the above specimen found by University of Idaho grad student Yaniria Sanchez-de Leon in 2005. Only native to the Palouse prairie region of Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho, this white wriggler can grow up to three feet long (yowza!) and supposedly smells like lilies (delicious!).

But before you go turning worms into perfume, you're going to have to tussle with some local environmental groups, who are hoping to get the giant Palouse earthworm on the endangered species list. Their efforts were stymied by the Bush administration, who openly feasted on the blood of polar bear cubs, but they're hoping that the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service will now be a little more worm-friendly. Help us, Obama-Wan Kenobi, you're these rare worms' only hope!