Monash University
An international study led by Monash University scientists has found that giant centipedes, growing up to 23 cm long, are predators of seabirds, suggesting that the arthropod has a key role to play in ecosystem dynamics.
The discovery, based on research on Philip Island, Norfolk Island, is outlined today in the American Naturalist.
Lead author of the study, professional ecologist and PhD candidate Luke Halpin at the Monash University School of Biological Sciences said the research revealed a novel result.
“There is evidence that large centipedes around the world consume vertebrate animals, but this is the first time that centipedes have been implicated as a major, natural predator of seabirds,” Luke said.
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And the ongoing issues with old landfills, like the one next to Invercargill’s New River Estuary, are a timely reminder that once thrown away, our rubbish doesn’t simply disappear but instead becomes a problem for the next generation. However, not all of our plastic waste is ending up in landfills, with large amounts also ending up in our rivers, estuaries and beaches. Over the past few years I’ve attended a number of beach and estuary clean-ups and what always concerns me is the amount of plastic washing up along the shoreline – not just the disposable cups and plastic packaging, but the smaller bits of plastic which pose such a risk to our native wildlife.