News release: The marathon sex romps of the humble worm...

Abstract

Issued by: Alan Air
Press Office
University of Central Lancashire
Preston
19.11.01.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
uworms are very choosy about who they have sex with but once they pick a mate it
can last for up to three and a half hours,"- Kevin Butt, Principal Lecturer in the
Department of Environmental Management, University of Central Lancashire,
Preston
A PRESTON university researcher has discovered that Scandinavian worms
enjoy marathon sex romps of up to three and a half hours.
Kevin Butt spent four months in Finland filming the loving antics of the humble
lob worm.
"These worms are very choosy about who they have sex with but once they pick
a mate it can last for up to three and a half hours," said Kevin, a Principal
Lecturer in the Department of Environmental Management at the University of
Central Lancashire, Preston.
He also revealed that Finnish worms brazenly have sex on TOP of the ground -
contrary to most other species that do it in the privacy of their underground homes.
Kevin has now got hundreds of hours of video footage of the sexy Scandinavians
getting it together.
"They are amazing creatures and I learned a lot more about them during my
time in Finland," he said.
''I used an infrared security camera to film them because while they mate on the
surface of the soil they always wait until it is dark.
''Even though lob worms are hermaphrodite - possessing both male and female
sex organs - they still need to exchange sperm with each other to breed.
"But before they do they visit the burrows of all the potential mates in their area
to assess their suitability as parents."
Kevin believes that worms may have strong parental feelings as they create
'pantries' of leaves and other organic matter exclusively for their babies.
And he found that they have special sensors on their tails which means they can
accurately reverse into their burrows after hunting forays on the surface of the
ground.
"Worms have been on the planet for 450 million years and pre-date the
dinosaurs. They are considered a primitive form of life but they are incredibly
complicated and play a vital role in keeping the soil - upon which our agriculture
depends- fertile and drained. We are learning new things about them all the
time," he said.
Notes to editors:
• Kevin Butt is available for interview and/or photograph. Contact Alan Air on
Mobile: 07974 765870 for further details.
• The Leverhulme Trust funded the research project that took place at MIT
(Agrifood Research) in Jokioinen in Finland.