# Can I cut an earthworm in half without killing it?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-cut-an-earthworm-in-half-without-killing-it/164547>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 27, 2003, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-cut-an-earthworm-in-half-without-killing-it/164547 "2003-03-27T16:28:21Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![flapcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@flapcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flapcats)\
**Post date:** [March 27, 2003, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-cut-an-earthworm-in-half-without-killing-it/164547/1 "2003-03-27T16:28:21Z")

</div>

I’m not going to… but.

I seem to remember someone saying that they had a brain at each end and that one end was male, the other female and if you cut it in half both ends would live and regenerate a new end.  
Is that right?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Aro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b3f665/32.png) [@Aro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aro)\
**Post date:** [March 27, 2003, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-cut-an-earthworm-in-half-without-killing-it/164547/2 "2003-03-27T16:55:10Z")

</div>

No to the ‘both ends’ bit.

It will really become one living earthworm and one discarded earthworm tail, IIRC. The living end can, sometimes, grow another tail.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![flapcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@flapcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flapcats)\
**Post date:** [March 27, 2003, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-cut-an-earthworm-in-half-without-killing-it/164547/3 "2003-03-27T16:56:15Z")

</div>

Bump? I can’t see my post in the first two pages of GQ!!!

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![MC\_Master\_of\_Ceremonies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bb73d2/32.png) [@MC\_Master\_of\_Ceremonies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MC_Master_of_Ceremonies)\
**Post date:** [March 27, 2003, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-cut-an-earthworm-in-half-without-killing-it/164547/4 "2003-03-27T17:02:39Z")

</div>

[http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/scienceshack/backcat/adamexp/wsearthworms.shtml](http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/scienceshack/backcat/adamexp/wsearthworms.shtml)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![troub](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troub/32/14802_2.png) [@troub](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/troub)\
**Post date:** [March 27, 2003, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-cut-an-earthworm-in-half-without-killing-it/164547/5 "2003-03-27T17:19:46Z")

</div>

As **Aro** said, no to the “both ends” part. They have only one brain, and the head end has a mouth and the tail end has an anus. Earthworms are hermaphroditic, but this isn’t “one end is male and one is female.”  
[http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/IN047](http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/IN047)

They may regenerate, but only a tail, again as **Aro** said. So the strange part is, if it’s cut in half the head will regenerate a tail and everything’s fine, but the severed tail will regenerate a tail, and eventually starve to death for lack of a mouth, basically.  
[http://newton.dep.anl.gov/natbltn/700-799/nb751.htm](http://newton.dep.anl.gov/natbltn/700-799/nb751.htm)