Just like in the story of King Kong, the famous gorilla from a mysterious island, Phillip Island in Australia is said to be inhabited by large predators. It is not a surprise that this territory shelters another incredible species, since thanks to pink stingrays and Tasmanian devils it shows a vast diversity. However, science fiction often does not do justice to its extraordinary beings and this is just the case of the giant centipedes of Australia.
The giant centipede is a creature endemic to Phillip Island that owes its name to the fact that it is no more and no less than 30 centimeters long. Although it is not as big as a gorilla, for an insect it breaks with the standards hitherto known.
In fact, it’s gigantic enough to take the life of a seabird chick; their main meal. Thanks to a recent study, it was learned that the giant centipedes of Australia hunt and consume thousands of birds each year. Yes, a little worm is the biggest predator on this island.
Australia’s Giant Centipede Up the Chain
Once night falls, the centipede is ready to activate its entire organism and search for victims. First, they stalk their potential prey from a distance, using their sensitive antennae to navigate on the ground, and when close enough to a chick they attack by injecting venom into the back of the bird’s neck.
By analyzing how giant centipedes hunt, the researchers found that they are responsible for an estimated 2,109 to 3,724 petrel bird deaths each year. Well, it was even discovered that they also eat carrion fish.
According to the results collected by the investigation, the diet of centipedes consists of 48% vertebrate animals and 8% only chicks. This determines that, although they are giant and seem fearsome, the giant centipedes of Australia are key beings for the ecology of Phillip Island.
Now the island is recharged with endemic species. The food chains that once saw it flourish are back, and centipedes certainly have something to do with it. The trophic structures are advancing in a healthy way and in a global panorama that warns of a climate crisis everywhere, it is excellent news to know that in one place on Earth there are species reborn.
Arthropod gigantism is common on the islands and evolution has been part of it. In the absence of predators, the entire ecosystem is transformed, it evolves in a way that is balanced. Giant centipedes now got a boost from evolution and that allowed them to become the iconic predators of Phillip Island in Australia.
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