30 Days. 30 Bugs. Teaching kids all the YIKES about the Nematode!

30 Days. 30 Bugs. Teaching kids all the YIKES about the Nematode…

During June, I will be offering some pretty interesting bugs to you and your kids… bugs that will excite and entertain kids while teaching them. Each and every little word or fun piece of information is a building block to love of learning and literacy.

Come along for the YIKES! It’s gonna be a buggah!

Derived from the Greek word meaning thread, the Nematode is a slender, cylindrical, thread-like worm.

The Nematode (including roundworms, hookworms and eelworms) is a microscopic, parasitic, invertebrate roundworm that inhabits marine, freshwater and terrestrial environments.  It is considered the most numerous multi-celled animal on earth, even though most Nematodes measure less than a millimeter in length.  This tiny creature has all of these systems… reproductive, digestive and nervous.

One interesting characteristic of the Nematode is its alimentary canal (the alimentary canal consists of the mouth, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, and large intestine.)    A Nematode is sometimes called a tube within a tube because its alimentary canal extends directly from its mouth to its anterior end.  That would be its butt.  YIKES!

The Nematode feeds on bacteria, fungi and sometimes even other Nematodes and they are found everywhere. There are at least 80,000 identified species of the Nematode and some biologists believe there may be up to 100 million species in all.  YIKES!

And for a further YIKES!, the parasitic Nematode finds itself in nearly all animals, plants and even human beings.  One small handful of soil can contain thousands of Nematodes, which is a very good reason to wash your hands. Some Nematodes can cause extensive root damage in plants, but enough of the bad

Nematodes provide biological control of soil-dwelling insect pests.  Ah, ha!  That’s good.

The Nematode may not be the cutest little insect out there, but your kids will be fascinated (maybe a bit grossed-out, too!) by the Nematode.  Why not do a little research on the life-cycle of the Nematode… or head right to SpongeBob, where Nematodes have been known to eat their way through just about everything…

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Join me here each day in June for 30 days. 30 Bugs. – a little fun, a little learning and a lotta YIKES!

About Audrey

Audrey McClelland has been a digital influencer since 2005. She’s a mom of 5 and shares tips on her three favorite things: parenting, fashion and beauty. She’s also a Contemporary Romance Author.

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2 Comments

  1. 6.20.13

    I can’t believe what I’m reading about this disgusting nematode! YIKES is right! Thanks for all your insights about this unbelievably gross insect!

  2. 6.25.13
    Jane said:

    Okay, I hope I never encounter one of these!

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