Two living specimens of the fabled giant Palouse earthworm have been captured for the first time in 20 years, University of Idaho scientists said.

Researchers located an adult and a juvenile specimen of the worm, which have become near mythic creatures in the Palouse region of Washington and Idaho, on March 27.

The adult specimen was positively identified by University of Kansas earthworm expert Sam James a few weeks later.

"We are beginning to gain some understanding about where we are likely to find the giant Palouse earthworm," said University of Idaho soil scientist Jodi Johnson-Maynard in Moscow, Idaho, who has been leading the search.

A university statement said the two worms appeared to dispel two reports from the turn of the previous century that had added to the myth of the earthworm: The creatures did not spit and they did not smell like lilies.

The adult worm measured about 10 or 12 inches fully extended, while the juvenile was six or seven inches. The worms were translucent, allowing internal organs to appear.

Both worms had pink heads and bulbous tails, rounded unlike the flattened tails of night crawlers. The adult had a yellowish band behind the head.

The university said the juvenile worm was being kept in the Moscow laboratory to provide DNA to help develop future identification techniques.

The specimens were found by Shan Xu, an Idaho student, and Karl Umiker, a research support scientist. They also found three earthworm cocoons, two of which have hatched and appear to also be giant Palouse earthworms.

The discoveries followed the development of a new high-tech worm shocking probe that uses electricity to push worms toward the surface. The probe was deployed from last summer.