Oregon Public Broadcasting

A rarely seen Northwest worm has shown up again. The Palouse earthworm was thought to be “giant” and to have the scent of lilies. But as Anna King reports, scientists now say the worm's size and smell seem average.

Scientists from the University of Idaho used electric probes in the ground to drive the worms to the surface.

Then they gently turned them out of the soil with a spade. It's the first time the Palouse earthworms have been spotted since 2008.

Much to the surprise of scientists, the worms weren't huge, they didn't smell like lilies and they haven't spit once.

All were traits that had been recorded on previous encounters.

Jodi Johnson-Maynard has been studying the worms. She says the creatures have sparked interest in soil science.

Jodi Johnson-Maynard: “There is so much biological diversity in the soil, we know the tip of the iceberg really about what's going on under our feet.”

Johnson-Maynard says she and her team are keeping three earthworms alive in a cooler full of dirt and they eventually plan to release them back into the wild.