The Worm (Caenorhabiditis elegans)
Distribution: Found in temperate regions worldwide.
Habitat: Terrestrial; lives in humid soils with moderate oxygen contents and low-to-medium clay contents.
Diet: Microbivorous; feed on bacteria that lives in soil and on rotting vegetation, but can also feed on various species of yeast.
Description: C. elegans is aptly nicknamed "the worm" because it is a very common laboratory model; in fact, it's used as the model organism for all eukaryotic organisms! These worms are very easy to study due to the transparency of their body, as well as their limited number of cells, having only 131 cells in their entire bodies. They were the first multicellular organisms to have their entire genome sequenced (as they only have 6 chromosomes and approximately 20,000 genes). Common research on these worms include the processes of embryogenesis, development, disease and aging (especially in the form of programmed cell death). By understanding how their genes are involved in the aging process, we can hopefully have a better idea of the processes involved in human aging, too!
Most of these worms are self-fertilizing hermaphrodites, though males are also present (composing only about 1/1000 worms). Though their anatomy is quite simple, they do possess a simple brain and nervous system (one third of their cells are neurons). They're also capable of rudimentary learning, as well as using chemoreceptors to orient themselves, and respond minimally to light (living in dark environments, they don't have much need for good eyesight).
Image by K. Bradnam and gif by Bob Goldstein.