Thousands of earthworms again fell from the frigid sky on parts of Norway recently, a phenomenon that left scientists bewildered and without conclusive answers.
This is the third "earthworm rain" to hit Norway recently. Similar rains occurred in Molde and Bergen, both in the south of the country, said the Independent. This phenomenon, however, isn't new to Norway. The first reports of worms falling from skies above Norway date back to the 1920s.
This latest event also occurred in Bergen, a city and municipality in Hordaland on the west coast of Norway, where the average temperature is 6 degrees Centigrade in April.
News reports said biology teacher Karstein Erstad made the discovery as he was skiing in the mountains outside Bergen. Erstad first thought the earthworms crawled atop the snow from the ground beneath but realized the snow was too deep for this to be possible.
"When I found them on the snow they seemed to be dead, but when I put them in my hand I found that they were alive," he said.
"In many places, the snow thickness was between half a meter and a meter (1 1/2 feet to 3 feet) and I think they would have problems crawling through the cold snow."
Erstad took a sample to Trond Haraldsen, an environmental expert at the Bioforsk research institute in Norway.
"This is a phenomenon we know from the literature, but it is the first time in my time as a scientist that I have got the message that it has happened on the snow," said Haralsen.
Experts believe the worms could have been lifted into the air by a weather system and blown miles from their original location.
Another theory says water spouts, which are phenomenon similar to tornadoes, can travel from seas onto land and pick up vegetation, debris, and small animals, carrying them miles away from where they started before they blow themselves out.