They can't jump or fly. If caught by a predator, earthworms will detach portions of their posterior, or wiggle violently, or give off fluids from their dorsal pores. Their main protection comes from spending much of their lives in the soil, only coming out in the dark or when flooded. The eggs hatch in 21 to 28 days. Each capsule produces two to twenty baby worms.
Worms are hermaphrodites so they all can produce eggs.
They reproduce by slipping their heads under the band or collar of another worm. They like to breed and settle in the center of the container where the temperature and moisture are the most constant. Under ideal conditions, one thousand worms can produce one million in a single year. Worms do not like the bright light. They will move further down into the container as compost is removed.