| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Carl |
Posted - 09/15/2005 : 09:05:39
http://www.islingtongazette.co.uk/content/islington/gazette/news/story.aspx?brand=ISLGOnline&category=news&tBrand=northlondon24&tCategory=newsislg&itemid=WeED07%20Sep%202005%2011%3A01%3A46%3A593
Giant centipede found behind TV
nlnews@archant.co.uk
07 September 2005
The discovered giant centipede
A GIANT venomous centipede captured by a man at his home in Islington may have been bought in a pet shop by one of his neighbours.
The scolopendra gigantean, which is nine inches long and an inch wide and has 21 pairs of legs, was found crawling up a living room wall.
Psychologist Aaron Balick spotted the creature - which has been known to paralyse humans with its venom - behind his TV.
It was thought it may have arrived in Islington from Central America where it is native, in a cargo of fruit.
But a neighbour who collects exotic pets has come forward claiming to be the owner.
A spokeswoman for the museum said that if checks show the man to be its rightful owner, his pet would be returned.
Mr Balick told how he discovered the creature. "I heard a rustling sound coming from behind my television," he said.
"Thinking it was a mouse I went to investigate the sound. The sound was coming from under some papers which I lifted, expecting to see the mouse scamper away.
"Instead, when I lifted the papers, I saw this prehistoric-looking animal skitter away behind a stack of books. I was shocked."
Brave Mr Balick, 32, managed to capture the insect in a Tupperware box and took it to the Natural History Museum, where it was identified.
Experts described the find as "highly unusual" and said it was lucky Mr Balick had not been bitten. Stuart Hine, manager of the Natural History Museum's Insect Information Service, said: "If it gave you a bite you would certainly know about it so, Aaron was quite lucky. He was also quite brave to have picked it up that way.
"I've heard tales of people in South America who have lost the ability to use their limbs for several weeks after being bitten.
"The centipede isn't lethal but it has a fair bit of venom. It will dart for anything that makes a movement and it's really looking for something quite large."
The giant centipede has been named Deirdre and is being looked after by museum staff who feed it a diet of locusts, cockroaches and mice.
It is expected to live for at least another 10 years and could grow up to 12 inches long.
"There's no record of them breeding over here so the good news for people in Islington is that there's no chance of an infestation," said Mr Hine. |
| 9 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Homers_pet_monkey |
Posted - 09/17/2005 : 07:06:24
Or if when he moved the newspapers away, the centipede moved them back.
 I'd walk her everyday, into a shady place
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| Frog in the Sand |
Posted - 09/16/2005 : 09:43:23
I would have been much more impressed if the guy had found a TV behind his giant centipede.
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"In the magnificent fierce morning of New Mexico, one sprang awake, a new part of the soul woke up suddenly and the old world gave way to the new." - D. H. Lawrence
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| misterwoe |
Posted - 09/16/2005 : 08:47:08
I had been looking for that guy. His name is actually Dr. Umbrella.
Pablo Picasso never got called an asshole. |
| Homers_pet_monkey |
Posted - 09/16/2005 : 06:06:27
They fed it mice!?!?
I'd walk her everyday, into a shady place
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| danjersey |
Posted - 09/15/2005 : 22:07:10
i'm not looking.
thats all i have. |
| Superabounder |
Posted - 09/15/2005 : 22:03:22
Why, why, why did I HAVE to see what the damn centipede thread was about? I could have just logged out like I was going to and all would have been fine.
All of the true things I am about to tell you are shameless lies |
| fbc |
Posted - 09/15/2005 : 09:32:04
Add a little rice, fry away, wrap in a dock leaf and munch. Yum. |
| Kirk |
Posted - 09/15/2005 : 09:21:29
I remember reading that at shortnews.com
http://www.shortnews.com/feedback.cfm?fanz=1&fbid=225101&rubrik=Regional&start=1
Now, that forum has crazy people.
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| TRANSMARINE |
Posted - 09/15/2005 : 09:11:28
I guess 50Pence is right. There are monsters.
I was alone...in my BIG BED
-bRIAN |
