What Is A Velvet Worm?

Worms from the phylum Onychophora are commonly known as the velvet worms. They get their name from the surface of their skin which looks and feels very like velvet. Numerous tiny finger like projections cover the surface of the cuticle of the worm, forming the furry, soft texture and pigments in the cells underlying the cuticle give the skin rich colours of blue, green, yellow or brown – just the rich colours that you would expect of velvet.

The cuticle and underlying skin of a velvet worm also contains deep folds, allowing the animal to stretch its body to more than twice its resting length as it moves around.

Velvet worms may have a furry coat but they like the warm weather and live in the tropical belts of America, Africa, Asia and Australia. They also occur in India and Mexico. They are nocturnal animals and feed on insects, being particularly fond of termites.