Corona Wildlife Diary: Day Eighty-five

The uplifting role that wildlife plays in our lives becomes more vital than ever. So, for my own sanity as much as anything, I’m going to keep a daily diary of what I find around my garden and behind my fridge. Post your pictures on the ‘Sussex Wildlife Trust Nature Table’ page.

Day Eighty-five

I didn't sleep too well last night. I'm putting it down to the fact that I ate an entire bag of Jelly Babies about an hour before I went to bed. I awoke from a nightmare with a beating heart and a dry mouth. Dragging on my dressing gown I stumbled into the kitchen to get a drink and hit the light switch. There, stood in the middle of my kitchen, was a fantastical creature straight out of the dark, primordial corners of my imagination. Dazzled by the light it recoiled and, like a droplet of quicksilver, flowed across the lino and under the fridge. 

I've been fascinated by Silverfish since I was a boy. Since I was now wide awake I grabbed a torch and went hunting in the dark corners of the kitchen . I managed to catch one in a pot and went to  look at it under my microiscope.

Us humans allow many animals into our homes: dogs, cats, budgies, iguanas; but other animals live with us too, uninvited. Silverfish are nocturnal creatures of damp crevices. Those dark unacknowledged areas under our baths and sinks provide their perfect ‘des res’. 

They’ve netted the name ‘fish’ because of their shiny scales and wiggling movement but Silverfish are actually primitive insects. They’re quite unique - their only close relative in Britain is the wonderfully named Firebrat. Unlike Silverfish, Firebrats love extreme heat and were once a familiar sight around the brickwork of fireplaces. Today Firebrats flourish around furnaces and industrial catering ovens.

 

For such primitive creatures Silverfish have a courtship ritual far more tender and romantic than some of our clumsy performances. Male and female face off and tentatively touch their trembling antennae. If this first date goes well they’ll progress to the next stage; a joyous chase before snuggling side-by-side.  Silverfish feed on anything containing starch or cellulose: spilt food, hair and flakes of human skin and, when it comes to eating dandruff, they’re head and shoulders above the rest. They’ve achieved some notoriety by eating neglected books; nibbling on paper and the glue in bindings.  

You may want to banish them from your home but Silverfish are here to stay. The Silverfish we see today are pretty much the same creature that existed in the Devonian period around 400 million years ago. Their body structure and lifestyle are perfectly adapted for life on Earth and, hell, if it aint broke don’t fix it. Let’s just pause a moment to consider that fact again:

Silverfish have been Silverfish for 400 million years.

 
(Photo by Chris)

In that time they’ve seen it all come and go. They were already ancient when T. Rex came stomping 68 million years ago, they watched us whippersnappers climb out of the trees 2.8 million years ago and they were still here when I looked under my fridge last night. 

Silverfish were around when our planet was being built and they’ve hung around long enough to watch us humans dismantle it.

When our failing species finally make ourselves extinct they’ll just shrug their Silverfish shoulders and carry on. And all those book and the pretty words we wrote will slowly be eaten away by the Silverfish... until the next bunch of chancers evolve and claim that they’re the dominant species on this planet.