Feb. 13, 2006 — A gigantic white worm that smells like lilies was recently unearthed in the state of Washington.

The invertebrate, called the giant Palouse earthworm because it can grow to around three feet long, had not been seen in nearly two decades and is believed to be extremely rare, according to a University of Idaho press release.

The worm may be suffering from competition from non-native species, revealing that even underground soil dwellers are vulnerable to ecosystem disruption.

UI soil science doctoral candidate Yaniria Sanchez-de Leon found the worm while digging in a 10-inch-square and 12-inch-deep pit of dirt located at Washington State University's Smoot Hill Ecological Preserve near Palouse, Wash.. The area is part of the Palouse prairie, which covers approximately two million acres across north central Idaho and southeastern Washington.

Sanchez-de Leon noticed the worm immediately because "it's very white and the anterior part is pink near the mouth."

She told Animal Planet News, "I suspected it could be the giant Palouse earthworm when I found the worm, but I thought that it was too short."

She added, "I knew about the earthworm because it has been reported from previous earthworm studies to be a native of the area. I felt really excited when I found it!"

While she did not detect much lily fragrance from this specimen, she said prior reports made note of the pleasant smell, which hasn't yet been explained.

The worm's scientific name, Driloleirus americanus, means "lily-like worm."

Researcher Frank Smith first spotted the earthworm in 1897 and described it as living deep in the fertile Palouse soil. During the summer months, the giant Palouse burrows up to 15 feet deep to stay cool and moist. It conserves water through kidney-like organs called nephridia.

While many Americans would be startled to find a three-foot-long worm, its relative in Australia, Megascolides australis, may grow to 15 feet.

Size does not appear to help its defense against European earthworms that entered the Palouse prairie by becoming stowaways on plants that settlers brought into the region.

"Competition among native and exotic earthworm species could be for the same food sources," Sanchez-de Leon said. "Bigger size doesn't necessarily give a competitive advantage to natives."

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