Earthworms cluster in ball 'herds' at Texas park

DENISON, Texas, June 5 (UPI) -- Rangers at a Texas park said earthworms gathering in clumped "herds" in the middle of a road looked like someone had dumped spaghetti from their car.

Eisenhower State Park Superintendent Ben Herman said rangers checking back roads at the Denison park May 29 found earthworms fleeing storms had formed into balls in a straight line down the middle of the road.

Texas Parks and Wildlife shared video of the worm balls on YouTube.

Rangers said they thought the clumps were spaghetti until they got close enough to poke at them.

"We're still puzzled why they decided to line up in the middle of the road," Herman told ABC News. "Even our biologist doesn't know why they're spaced so well and in the line."

Officials said the worms may have formed into the balls, or herds, so they could share the drier portions of pavement, or they may have formed herds because they mistook the sound of the rain for the noise of predators beating down on the ground.

"We were all fascinated by what happened," Herman said. "It was pretty entertaining to watch the worms do their thing."