So I got the chance to get my hands on a small amount of Alabama Jumper worms (Amynthus Gracilus). Funny thing is these worms are not from Alabama or anywhere around Alabama. They are not even from the same country. Alabama Jumpers are a native to Asia and this worm has a lot of controversy as an invasive species.

They can be found populating large sections of North American and since it is such a strong worm it can dig deep in clay and sand making it a very good garden worm for aerating and creating a nice rich soil. Even though they burrow deep they still feed on decaying debris on the surface which makes then suitable as a composting worm. It is also a big reason for the controversy about this worm because it can dig deep under the frost line in the northern forest and survive the cold winters where other types of worms can not. This is allowing them to live and thrive in a place that has not had these types of worms since the last ice age and they are eating a massive amount of the forest floor leaf litter and debris that is a food source for many other insects and invertebrates which then they become a food source for larger animals and insects.

They make a very good fish bait since they jump and wiggle around aggressively but their thick skin also helps keep them on the hook.

With the limited time of maybe a month or so and a small amount to work with I can't say much about reproduction besides I would put it on par with my European nightcrawlers and also size would be very close with a nice fat 6 or 7 inches. Food consumption seems a little faster then the European but hard to tell since they have a more soil based bedding instead of a normal composting worm bedding. Their bin also needs to be deeper. I would say at lest a foot or even up to two foot deep since they like to burrow down where as normal composting worms bins can be as shallow as eight inches.

I look forward to updating information on these as I go.