Blue worms' Meghalaya's new find
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SHILLONG: A new species of migratory worms, 'blue worms', has been discovered in Meghalaya, which is considered a biodiversity hotspot. The species was found at Nohron and Nongryngkoh villages in East Khasi Hills district of the state.
Blue in colour, these worms migrate to the uplands in the spring and move back to the warmer, lower altitudes before winter sets in. For villagers of the areas they inhabit, the movement of these blue worms acts as a kind of weather forecast mechanism, implying that it will rain.
The Wah Umstew river joins the Wah Umsong to flow as a tributary of the Wah Umngot in the valley between certain areas of the Mawkynrew and Pynursla blocks. The worms inhabit the river beds of the Mawlyngot, Rasong and Rangphlang villages, especially during the winter.
Additional chief secretary P Barkos Warjri said as he was determined to see this phenomenon, he went to the Wah Umstew on April 15 through the Mawlyngot village where he saw several clumps of these worms.
"Thousands of them were piled up in two clumps on the river bed. The young ones are red in colour, but the mature ones, some of which grow up to one foot in length, are a rich blue," he said, adding that the next day, on April 16, it rained heavily and the villagers told him that the worms had started ascending the hills.
Birds and fishes usually have a sumptuous feast of these worms during migration, Warjri said. "The ones that survive multiply in the fields on the hills and fertilize the soil, returning as an army in October towards warmer areas and settling on river beds in the winter," Warjri said.
People avoid venturing into the fields in October as the surface is very slippery as these worms migrate in hordes during this season.
Blue in colour, these worms migrate to the uplands in the spring and move back to the warmer, lower altitudes before winter sets in. For villagers of the areas they inhabit, the movement of these blue worms acts as a kind of weather forecast mechanism, implying that it will rain.
The Wah Umstew river joins the Wah Umsong to flow as a tributary of the Wah Umngot in the valley between certain areas of the Mawkynrew and Pynursla blocks. The worms inhabit the river beds of the Mawlyngot, Rasong and Rangphlang villages, especially during the winter.
Additional chief secretary P Barkos Warjri said as he was determined to see this phenomenon, he went to the Wah Umstew on April 15 through the Mawlyngot village where he saw several clumps of these worms.
"Thousands of them were piled up in two clumps on the river bed. The young ones are red in colour, but the mature ones, some of which grow up to one foot in length, are a rich blue," he said, adding that the next day, on April 16, it rained heavily and the villagers told him that the worms had started ascending the hills.
Birds and fishes usually have a sumptuous feast of these worms during migration, Warjri said. "The ones that survive multiply in the fields on the hills and fertilize the soil, returning as an army in October towards warmer areas and settling on river beds in the winter," Warjri said.
People avoid venturing into the fields in October as the surface is very slippery as these worms migrate in hordes during this season.
Blue worms: Nature’s mystery in Meghalaya
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By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: It was a passion with a difference for a senior bureaucrat to track down migrating blue worms of Umstew riverbed.
The Additional Chief Secretary PBO
Warjri had to cancel his planned visit to the Shad Suk Mynsiem
celebrations at Weiking Ground on April 15 to search for the blue worms
all the way to Wah Umstew through Mawlyngot village under Mawkynrew
Block around 50 kms from here.
Wah Umstew joins with Wah Umsong to make
a tributary of Wah Umngot flowing in the valleys between the areas of
Mawkynrew Block and Pynursla Block, in the areas of Mawlyngot, Rasong
and Rangphlang villages.
“When I heard about blue worms, I
immediately imagined things in some far off lands in Africa or South
America. We have perhaps been given to think of animals and strange
creatures living only in such places. I was thrilled when I was told in
January of this year, while on a visit to Nohron and Nongryngkoh, about
worms which migrate in these areas”, Warjri said here on Wednesday.
He mentioned that further queries led to
the realization that these were blue worms adding that he was informed
that they migrate to the uplands in the spring and move back to the
warmer low altitudes before winter sets in.
“The worms live under this river bed
during the winter preferring the moist surroundings. At the new moon on
April 12, they began emerging and the villagers knew that this was also a
sign that rain was coming”, the senior bureaucrat said.
Highlighting his experience, Warjri
stated that they saw several clumps of these worms and there were
thousands of them in two such clumps on the river bed under fallen
leaves or stones. The young ones were red but the mature ones, some
about one foot long were rich blue. Small stones or leaves under which
they had collected would move, as they twirled among each other. “Such
was the energy in the clumps,” he added.
Interestingly, the next day (April 16),
the rain came down heavily and the villagers informed that the worms had
started marching up into the hills. “Birds and fish would have a great
feast on such occasions,” he said.
He further said that the ones which
survive would multiply in the fields above, fertilize the soil for the
vegetables and fruits, returning as an army in the month of October
towards warm areas under the river beds in winter.
The migration in October is reportedly
so heavy that people avoid going to the fields on such days as the
surface would be slippery with the worms covering the ground.
“There was no way of stopping them as
they obeyed their natural urge to migrate, dropping down steep inclines
in chains as they clung to each other,” said the senior bureaucrat.
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