Worms. That’s nothing new to us, but jumping worms on the other hand, may be. Jumping worms are newer to Wisconsin and can be mistaken as a small snake. PJ Liesch, director of the UW-Madison Insect Diagnostic Lab and state entomologist, says while similar to earthworms, the jumping worms have very unique behaviors. 

According to the Wisconsin DNR, the “jumping worm” is an invasive earthworm native to East Asia. This active and damaging pest was found in Wisconsin in 2013. It is known and sold under a variety of common names including crazy worms, Alabama jumpers and snake worms.

The name given to the worms really speaks to what it does. They slither and thrash when handled and behave more like a threatened snake than a worm. Jumping worms can be 1.5 to eight inches long. The narrow band around their body (clitellum) is cloudy-white and smooth, unlike other species which have a raised clitellum. A jumping worm’s clitellum will also completely circle the body.

“The analogy I like to use is to take your run of the mill earthworm and give it a triple shot of espresso,” says Liesch. “They seem to do everything faster, from eating to reproducing and so on. Most earthworms have one generation per year but jumping worms can go through two and reach maturity twice as quickly.”

* Photo courtesy of UW-Madison-Arboretum