Unidentified bug on my bathroom floor

[UncleN]

Hi all,

I'm new here, and not a wildlife expert at all, so please excuse me if this is a daft question, with a really obvious answer....

I've recently moved house, and bugs like the one in the photo attached (if I've done the attaching correctly) appear in my bathroom every night. They don't seem to show up during the day at all, and on occasion I've seen one on my hall or bedroom floor. Has anyone got any idea what they are?

I know the photo doesn't give scale, but the main body tends to be about 10-20mm long (the one in the photos is about 15-20, I reckon), although most are at the lower end of that range. Generally, only one of the little critters shows its face at a time, but I've seen up to 4 around simultaneously.

They can shift pretty quick on a smooth surface but struggle across carpet.

Any help in identifying them would be much appreciated - I have never seen anything similar in my life.

Thanks in advance.

Cheers,

N

PS My bathroom floor is clean - that mottled effect is how it's supposed to look!

[Kayleigh]

I could be wrong but they look like silverfish have a google..

Welcome to WAB..

[2dogs2000]

Hi and welcome to WAB. I think what you have there is commonly known as silverfish (don't know scientific name). I don't think they are much of a problem and I think they prefer dark, damp places. Someone else will be along shortly with superior knowledge to mine.

[Wild-Woman]

A silverfish recycling any bits of detritus it finds.

[jezlee]

Interesting little creatures, the Silverfish (Lapisma saccharina). They have remained more or less unchanged over thousands of years and can be regarded as living fossils, comparable with the Coelacanth.

They are almost exclusively associated with human habitations. Most people will have seen these small silvery insects run for shelter in the evening when a light is turned on in the kitchen, or may have found them in the bath or wash basin. They do not, as many believe, come up the drainpipe (same applies to spiders!), but become trapped after sliding down the walls of the bath whilst searching for food during the night. You will usually find them in kitchens and bathrooms, as they require a reasonably high humidity or access to water.

But totally harmless!

[UncleN]

All,

Thanks very much for all the replies - you're a really helpful crowd - much appreciated.

Cheers,

N

[Hedera]

They do like flour and other starchy food, even wallpaper paste which has dried out. They get into bookcases and will eat through to the bookbinding paste. Silverfish is a good name, they are covered in little scales which come off if you try to catch them! They come out mostly at night, and the cats like to catch them.