| worm is any of numerous relatively small elongated soft-bodied
invertebrate animals. The most famous is the earthworm, a member of phylum
Annelida, but there are hundreds of thousands of different species that
live in a wide variety of habitats other than soil.
Originally, the word referred to any creeping or a crawling animal of any kind or size, such as a serpent, caterpillar, snail, or the like. Later this definition was narrowed to the modern definition which still includes several different animal groups. Major phyla include: * Acanthocephala (spiny-headed worms) Some other invertebrate groups may be considered worms. Many insect larvae are called worms, such as the railroad worm, glowworm, or bloodworms. |
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