Red worms or manure worms can grow to about 5-7 centimetres (3 inches) long and will eat their own weight in garbage every 24 hours. When worms are used in composting it is called vermicomposting.
New genus of rat linked to Incan tombs
New genus of rat linked to Incan tombs A new genus of rat has been found in Peru by field
biologist Louise Emmons. She came upon the body of the rat just
after it had been killed by a weasel. It has now been shown to be
related to the rats whose bones were found in Incan tombs alongside
human bones in the ancient city of Machu Picchu. The new rat is 30
cm long with a 20 cm long tail, is covered with grey fur and has a
white stripe on its head. It is probably very shy as it had never
been seen before Ms Emmons found the body on a mountain trail in
1997. Although scientists discover new species at about the rate of
14 a year, it is very rare to find such a big mammal and
particularly a new genus. There are presently about 5,000 known
species of mammals on Earth. 30 MARCH 2000
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