Animals >>
Glow Worm
Glow Worm Facts
| Kingdom: Five groups that classify all living things | Animalia |
| Phylum: A group of animals within the animal kingdom | Arthropoda |
| Class: A group of animals within a pylum | Insecta |
| Order: A group of animals within a class | Coleoptera |
| Family: A group of animals within an order | Lampyridae |
| Common Name: Most widely used name for this species | Glow Worm |
| Scientific Name: The name of the animal in science | Arachnocampa luminosa |
| Location: The place where something is found | Worldwide |
| Diet: What kind of foods the animal eats | Omnivore |
| Size: How long (L) or tall (H) the animal is | 2.5-5.0cm (1-2in) |
| Number Of Species: The total number of recorded species | 12 |
| Average Lifespan: The average time the animal lives for | 5 months |
| Conservation Status: The likelihood of the animal becoming extinct | Threatened |
| Colour: The colour of the animal's coat or markings | Black, Brown, Yellow, Green, Red |
| Skin Type: The protective layer of the animal | Shell |
| Favourite Food: The preferred food of this animal | Snails |
| Habitat: The specific area where the animal lives | Undisturbed woodland and caves |
| Average Litter Size: The average number of babies born at once | 75 |
| Main Prey: The food that the animal gains energy from | Snails, Slugs, Insects |
| Predators: Other animals that hunt and eat the animal | Spiders, Birds, Centipedes |
| Special Features: Characteristics unique to this animal | Long, flat body and green light on tail |
Glow Worm Location
Glow Worm
The glow worm is a medium to large sized invertebrate that is famous for having a green and yellow coloured light on the end of its tail.
Glow worms are found inhabiting dense woodland and caves around the world with the exception of the Americas and glow worms are one of the few insects that are found inside the colder Arctic Circle. Glow worms are nocturnal animals which means that they are active during the dark night which is when their glowing rears can be seen.
Glow worm is the common name for various different groups of insect larva and adult larviform females which glow through bioluminescence. Glow worms may sometimes resemble actual worms, but all are insects as one species of glow worm is a type of fly but most glow worms species are actually beetles.
It is only the female glow worms that actually glow as they spend around 2 hours every night in the mating season with their bottoms in the air, trying to attract a mate. The male glow worms are attracted to the glowing object in the foliage but have also been known to be attracted to man-made lighting such as street lights.
Glow worms are most commonly seen in the UK between June and October and their green-lit tails tend to show up most clearly when the sun goes down at dusk. Legend says that early humans used to use glow worms to mark paths and provide light in huts. Glow worms were thought to have some kind of magical power and so people would also use the glow worm in medicines.
Glow worms are omnivorous animals but they tend to have a very meat-based diet. Glow worms predominantly prey on snails and slugs which make up the majority of the glow worm's diet. Glow worms also prey on other insects and small invertebrates.
Due to their small size and the fact that they glow in the darkness, glow worms have numerous natural predators within their environment including spiders, large insects, birds, reptiles and centipedes.
Typically, the female glow worm lays between 50 and 100 eggs in moist areas, over a period of a few days. The tiny glow worm eggs are yellow in colour and can take between 3 and 6 weeks to hatch depending on the climate (the warmer it is, the faster the glow worm eggs will hatch).
Glow worms are considered to be an animal species that are threatened with extinction as the glow worm population numbers are drastically decreasing. The main reason for the lower number of glow worms is thought to be the expansion of human civilisations. Glow worms are known to be particularly vulnerable to changes in their environment including habitat loss, noise and pollution.
Related Animals
Are you Safe?
Are you Safe? is an online safety campaign by A-Z-Animals.com. If something has upset you, the Are you Safe? campaign can help you to speak to someone who can help you.
Are you Safe?Glow Worm Comments
Post Comment
Article Tools
Update your Glow Worm phobia filter.
View printer friendly version of Glow Worm article.
Learn how you can use or cite the Glow Worm article in your website content, school work and other projects.
First Published: 14th November 2008, Last Updated: 8th November 2019
1. David Burnie, Dorling Kindersley (2008) Illustrated Encyclopedia Of Animals [Accessed at: 14 Nov 2008]
2. David Burnie, Kingfisher (2011) The Kingfisher Animal Encyclopedia [Accessed at: 01 Jan 2011]
3. Dorling Kindersley (2006) Dorling Kindersley Encyclopedia Of Animals [Accessed at: 14 Nov 2008]
4. Richard Mackay, University of California Press (2009) The Atlas Of Endangered Species [Accessed at: 01 Jan 2009]
5. Tom Jackson, Lorenz Books (2007) The World Encyclopedia Of Animals [Accessed at: 14 Nov 2008]
"I live in Waukesha Wisconsin and found a glow worm. It was fascinating it caught my eye immediately I took some photos of it and it is extremely a conversation worm"
"I live in the mountain forest of Wilderness, Sout Africa. At the moment little baby worms, barely 2 mm long - but glowing!"
"I live in southwestern Ohio. In September and October every year we see dozens of glow worms. It's one of my favorite fall phenomena. Love these little creatures. "
"the glow worm is awesome and cool. "
"Your article says that they are not in the Americas, but my yard in the NC mountains is full of them tonight. I didn't know that there really was such a thing. My husband and I thought that maybe they were lightning bugs (fireflies) that had come to the ground because it had been raining. We got a flashlight to check, but found crawly bugs like the large picture above. What do they turn into? Our fire fly season is pretty much over."
Show More Comments