why dos the earthworm secrete slimy substances
The word “worm” is a blanket term for several species of animals who have bodies that are long and cylindrical with no legs. Worms also have no eyes, but they can sense light and know whether to move toward or away from it. Technically, animals with this body structure are referred to as non-arthropod invertebrate animals. Most worms are invertebrates, or have no spine, although a few species that are vertebrates are referred to as worms as well.
Worms breathe through their skin. In order for them to do that and in order for them to be healthy, the skin needs to be moist. The layer of slime keeps them moist and keeps them from drying out. If the worm gets too dry, it will die from suffocation.
The slime, or mucus, actually turns into the oxygen that the worm inhales. The mucus is also useful in reproduction. The 32nd to 37th segments of the worm’s body is a segment called the clitellum. It secretes a mucus that quite literally glues two worms together as they mate, and it also secretes the cocoon that an earthworm’s eggs will be born out of.