South Yorkshire Times July 30, 1955
Our Heatwave Kept It Alive
Found Giant Centipede in Bunch Of Bananas
Mr. Edgar Eames , a travelling greengrocer, of Parkgate Avenue, Conisbrough, discovered a giant centipede of the scolopendra species, when he was unpacking bunches of bananas at his home on Monday.
Later, members of the West Riding Police took the centipede to Doncaster Museum, where an immediate examination was carried out by the curator, Mr. E. F. Gilmore. Mr Gilmore, in an interview with a “South Yorkshire Times” reporter this week expressed surprise that the animal was still alive.
He said: “It has come from the very warm climate of the West Indies. I am very surprised that it is still alive. This is partly explained by the very hot weather we have been experiencing during the past few weeks.”
Mr Gilmore said that it was not unusual for animals and snakes to be found in banana, consignments. He added that they were pleased to have the centipede and he hoped that eventually it would be placed in Doncaster zoo. Meantime the animal will be very well cared for in suitably heated surroundings. Mr Gilmore mentioned to our reporter that the centipede was approximately 5 inches in length and, as near as he could certain, it was about one year old. He added that when the centipede reached immaturity it would be about 9 inches in length. Mr Gilmore added that it was a very interesting specimen. It has a poisonous, but not deadly, bite.
Mrs. Kathleen Haller, a clerk at the Conisbrough firm of Peters Ltd., wholesalers, explained to our reporter that the banana supplied to Mr full stop Eames were in a consignment of 200 bunches which were received by the firm in the middle of last week.
The bananas were kept at the Conisbrough headquarters of the firm for a few days to ripen and were distributed to retailers on Friday.
Some bananas went to shopkeepers in the Mexborough, Swinton, Conisbrough and Dearne districts.
Mrs. Haller mentioned that it was the first time any sort of animal had been found in one of the firms banana consignments. “It has interested everyone of us” she said
“Scolopendra gigantea” by Katka Nemčoková – http://nemcok.sk/?pic=28321. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.