Bat-eaters from the abyss

Symon — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 21:53:00 +0000

I am once again made slightly uncomfortable by how disturbing real-life creatures can be.

The Amazonian Giant Centipede (Scolopendra gigantea), is the largest existing species of centipede in the world. It grows to over 35 cm in length and has the strength of a small snake. Here’s the freaky part… it catches bats in mid-flight and eats them.

Yes indeed, and to prove that I didn’t read that in a tabloid, I’ve embeded video proof below.

On a lighter note, let’s talk about centipede venom. Centipedes bite using two gigantic hollow, venom-pumping fangs. Those unfortunate enough to have been bitten liken it to being burned by a lit cigar. One death has been reported where a seven year old girl was bit in the head… she died hours later. Click here to see a Discovery Channel clip of a centipede owning a tarantula. It has to be seen to be believed.

For those of us living in New Zealand who think we are free from these ‘centipedal monsters’, think again. The New Zealand giant centipede grows to 25 cms.

How big do centipedes grow? It is rumored that there is a rare species living in the Galapagos Islands that exceeds 60 cms. The now extinct Euphoberia centipede grew to over a metre in length. Imagine waking up to one of these monsters coiled around your neck, about to sink its fangs into your head! Who decided Euphoberia is extinct anyway? Doesn’t ‘extinct’ just mean that none have been seen recently?

Once again, sweet dreams…

Monster Wasps!

Symon — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 06:26:00 +0000

In a recent post of Paisley Jade’s she commented about her husband’s (that’s me) over-exuberance when using flyspray on wasps. Yes, I admit I have a slight dislike (understatement of the year) for wasps… Do you blame me? Being chased and stung by angry paper-wasps as a kid, and then having a stinging wasp trapped in my wetsuit!

I came across this photo yesterday, and although it looks like something out of a bad 70′s horror flick, it is very real… and very nasty.

The Japanese Giant Hornet lurks in the mountains of Japan. It has a quarter-inch stinger that pumps out a dose of venom with an enzyme so strong it can dissolve human tissue. Just one of these hornets can kill 40 European honeybees a minute! Those who get stung by this monster describe the pain as excruciating, and if proper medical treatment is not administered rapidly, death can follow. About 40 people die each year after being stung by them!

So I ask you… regardless of your gender, would you empty a can of Black-flag on one of these if it flew in your bedroom window? I think so.

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Bat-eaters from the abyss

Monster Wasps!