Reports suggested that the worms had a penchant for spitting and smelled like lilies, further enhancing the myth of the earthworm in the agricultural Palouse region on the Washington-Idaho border. Discovered in … ... to help identify areas frequented by giant Palouse earthworms. The giant Palouse earthworm has fascinated scientists for decades after long being written off as an extinct creature that once lived in the Palouse region of the Washington-Idaho border. Massive agricultural development in the Palouse prairies of eastern Washington state nearly killed off this native earthworm. The giant Palouse earthworm or Washington giant earthworm (Driloleirus americanus, meaning lily-like worm) is a species of earthworm belonging to the genus Driloleirus inhabiting the Palouse region of Eastern Washington and North Idaho, in the United States.The worm was discovered in 1897 by Frank Smith near Pullman, Washington. Found only in a critically endangered ecosystem known as the Palouse prairie, a storied giant was long thought to be extinct. Only a handful of sightings have been reported since the 1970s. Giant Palouse Earthworm Photo by Chris Baugher. Giant Earthworms You know, I think this guy could stay extinct - it's been said that the Giant Palouse Earthworm can grow up to three feet in length. The giant Palouse earthworm has fascinated scientists for decades after long being written off as an extinct creature that once lived in the Palouse region of the Washington-Idaho border. Reports suggested that the worms had a penchant for spitting and smelled like lilies. 1. The giant Palouse earthworm has fascinated scientists for decades after long being written off as an extinct creature. It can burrow to a depth of 15 feet (4.6 m). The giant Palouse earthworm, a big white worm native to the Palouse prairie region of Idaho and Washington state, was said to be abundant in … The giant Palouse earthworm has fascinated scientists for decades after long being written off as an extinct creature. Reports suggested that the … University of Idaho graduate student Yaniria Sanchez-de Leon is apparently the first person in nearly two decades to find a specimen of the giant Palouse earthworm. Only four sightings have been confirmed in the past 30 years, and experts had feared the species was extinct. The giant Palouse earthworm has fascinated scientists for decades after long being written off as an extinct creature. Reports suggested that the … Once feared extinct, the giant Palouse earthworm, reputed to grow up to three feet long and smell like lilies, has been found alive.