Snakes On The Tube: An Update

M@
By M@ Last edited 70 months ago
Snakes On The Tube: An Update

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We recently published an exposé into the growing menace of greywyrm on the tube. These sinister snakes have been spotted all over the Underground. Each tube line has its own unique species, such as the Circle line specimen shown above.

Now, several readers have contacted us to relate their own encounters. Most recently, a reader called Kevin tipped us off with a rare sighting of a greywyrm nest, in Liverpool Street (below).

The photo is troubling. Greywyrm normally lay their eggs in dark tunnel spaces. This mother-to-be has chosen a public corridor. Ecologists believe that the introduction of the night tube has had an adverse effect on the snakes, forcing them out of their natural environments.

The serpentine creatures have even been spotted above ground. Reader Andrej sends us this disturbing snap from Dalston.

This shows a tangle of male greywyrm attempting to mate with a bicycle stand. After years of living in dark tunnels, the creatures have only vestigial eyesight and cannot distinguish the metal bar from a female of their own kind.

Finally, Jocelyn sends us this troubling image from Enfield Tesco.

The distinctive markings are characteristic of the predominant species of the Overground line and, indeed, this branch of the supermarket sits right alongside the tracks. The greywyrm seems to have migrated into the superstore in search of food.

Its yellow hue is abnormal, so we sought advice from a greywyrm expert, Dr Helminthia Grubbage. She believes that the creature must have gorged on offal. "Its thin skin is easily discoloured by bilirubin and other bile pigments," she tells us. "It's also possible that he was attracted to that power cable, which does resemble the juvenile stage of certain greywyrm species."

Greywyrms, once a rare sight on the tube, are now commonplace on platforms and corridors. They're even ranging above ground in search of food and mating opportunities. We will continue to chronicle this phenomenon as it develops. Please send any photographs or anecdotes to matt@londonist.com.

Last Updated 31 May 2018