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What is the Life Span of Earthworms?

Answer – On average, earthworms live from 4–8 years.

Explanation: 

Depending on the species and their environment, the life span of an earthworm varies. The nightcrawler species has an average life span of 6–9 years and has been reported to live up to 20 years. Red worms typically live between 2 and 5 years. Gray worms, which spend their entire lives beneath the soil surface, tend to live between 1.25 and 2.6 years on average.

Earthworms often die from changes in the soil (drying or flooding) or disease, or get eaten by predators, including birds, snakes, and large insects.

A picture of an earthworm slithering in the soil
Most earthworms live for 4–8 years.
Rob Hille / Wikimedia Commons (licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0)

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