News

Society

Science

Health

Culture

Subscribe

The longest walkable route on Earth that no human has been able to complete yet

The seemingly endless stretch calls for a demanding journey across 17 countries and six time zones.

By

Neha B.

By  Neha B.
Add to Google News
Array
Photo credit: vi nowak – Representative Image Source: Pexels

Like an intricate wiring diagram, the map of the world contains more permutations and combinations of routes than humans can possibly discover. This leads to some passages remaining untravelled. The “longest walkable route on the Earth,” too, has remained unexplored by anyone, not because nobody knows about it, but because it is filled with obstacles. 

Image Source: Reddit | r/Mapporn
Image Source: Reddit | r/Mapporn

The seemingly endless trail spans from L’Agulhas in Cape Town, South Africa to the port town of Magadan in the far northeast of Russia, as per IFL Science. The route measures 22,387 kilometers, which is longer than the 3525-kilometer Appalachian trail, the 4500-kilometre Great Himalayan trail, and the 804-kilometre Camino de Santiago pilgrimage trail.

Image Source: Himalayan mountain trail (Photo by Yawar Nazir/Getty Images)
Image Source: Himalayan mountain trail (Photo by Yawar Nazir/Getty Images)

No matter how much one tries, no man has completed this route by walking. Interestingly, the path is paved in such a way that travelers do not require flights, ferries, or boats to traverse it. However, according to Google Maps, taking a ferry across the Black Sea would shorten the distance to 21,779 kilometers, which might not bring much difference. 

via GIPHY

All that remains in the terrain to cross are roads and bridges. If someone traverses this route, they end up crossing 17 countries and six time zones, each offering its unique weather panorama. Ideally, it should require 4,492 hours without any stoppage to cover the distance. But even the toughest human requires time off for naps, meals, and other necessities. 

Representative Image Source: Pexels | josh willink
Representative Image Source: Pexels | Josh Willink

In reality, the voyage will take much longer than just 4,492 hours, probably more than a year if you are walking for 8 hours daily. Moreover, there are hoards of hurdles on the path. Take, for example, the extreme weather conditions. From the scorching heat of the Sahara Desert to the freezing Siberian tundra, or the malaria mosquitos of tropical Africa, or the war-infested Russian territories; the route is an extremely hard and dangerous journey to undertake.

Representative Image Source: Pexels | yogendras31
Representative Image Source: Pexels | yogendras31

Many Redditors like u/Perfect_gas and u/cbz3000 claimed to have known about this route. However, as intriguing as it sounds, not a single person has walked this route completely yet, given the tough conditions, including changing weather.

Image Source: Reddit | u/littlemancodelearner
Image Source: Reddit | u/littlemancodelearner

u/varysisamermaid69 said, “You need to be Jesus to complete this!” Another Redditor, u/branderhooven, commented, “These are the type of things I would do if I had all my bones replaced with some type of nanocarbon things, and the future brings you a life that may last several hundred years.” Describing the pathway, u/zaitsman said, “Just so you know, it is not exactly a ‘road’ up Magadan end. More like walking through bushes, swamps, marshes, and forests.”

[rebelmouse-image 55299189 expand=1 dam=1 alt=”Image Source: Reddit | u/[deleted]” site_id=26881454 is_animated_gif=”false” original_size=”1200×238″ crop_info=”%7B%22image%22%3A%20%22https%3A//assets.rbl.ms/55299189/origin.jpg%22%2C%20%22thumbnails%22%3A%20%7B%22origin%22%3A%20%22https%3A//assets.rbl.ms/55299189/origin.jpg%22%2C%20%22750×1000%22%3A%20%22https%3A//rebelmouse.good.is/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy81NTI5OTE4OS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTc4MTE5MjE4M30.L5Y39pM1fn8eipzN9y9C8TAgl7cMR8HKopGdNNADR-U/image.jpg%3Fwidth%3D750%26height%3D1000%26coordinates%3D510%252C0%252C511%252C0%22%2C%20%22600×300%22%3A%20%22https%3A//rebelmouse.good.is/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy81NTI5OTE4OS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTc4MTE5MjE4M30.L5Y39pM1fn8eipzN9y9C8TAgl7cMR8HKopGdNNADR-U/image.jpg%3Fwidth%3D600%26height%3D300%26coordinates%3D362%252C0%252C362%252C0%22%2C%20%22600×200%22%3A%20%22https%3A//rebelmouse.good.is/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy81NTI5OTE4OS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTc4MTE5MjE4M30.L5Y39pM1fn8eipzN9y9C8TAgl7cMR8HKopGdNNADR-U/image.jpg%3Fwidth%3D600%26height%3D200%26coordinates%3D243%252C0%252C243%252C0%22%2C%20%22300x%22%3A%20%22https%3A//rebelmouse.good.is/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy81NTI5OTE4OS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTc4MTE5MjE4M30.L5Y39pM1fn8eipzN9y9C8TAgl7cMR8HKopGdNNADR-U/image.jpg%3Fwidth%3D300%22%2C%20%221200×800%22%3A%20%22https%3A//rebelmouse.good.is/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy81NTI5OTE4OS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTc4MTE5MjE4M30.L5Y39pM1fn8eipzN9y9C8TAgl7cMR8HKopGdNNADR-U/image.jpg%3Fwidth%3D1200%26height%3D800%26coordinates%3D421%252C0%252C422%252C0%22%2C%20%22600×400%22%3A%20%22https%3A//rebelmouse.good.is/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy81NTI5OTE4OS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTc4MTE5MjE4M30.L5Y39pM1fn8eipzN9y9C8TAgl7cMR8HKopGdNNADR-U/image.jpg%3Fwidth%3D600%26height%3D400%26coordinates%3D421%252C0%252C422%252C0%22%2C%20%22600×600%22%3A%20%22https%3A//rebelmouse.good.is/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy81NTI5OTE4OS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTc4MTE5MjE4M30.L5Y39pM1fn8eipzN9y9C8TAgl7cMR8HKopGdNNADR-U/image.jpg%3Fwidth%3D600%26height%3D600%26coordinates%3D481%252C0%252C481%252C0%22%2C%20%221500×2000%22%3A%20%22https%3A//rebelmouse.good.is/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy81NTI5OTE4OS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTc4MTE5MjE4M30.L5Y39pM1fn8eipzN9y9C8TAgl7cMR8HKopGdNNADR-U/image.jpg%3Fwidth%3D1500%26height%3D2000%26coordinates%3D510%252C0%252C511%252C0%22%2C%20%222000×1500%22%3A%20%22https%3A//rebelmouse.good.is/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy81NTI5OTE4OS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTc4MTE5MjE4M30.L5Y39pM1fn8eipzN9y9C8TAgl7cMR8HKopGdNNADR-U/image.jpg%3Fwidth%3D2000%26height%3D1500%26coordinates%3D441%252C0%252C441%252C0%22%2C%20%221200×400%22%3A%20%22https%3A//rebelmouse.good.is/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy81NTI5OTE4OS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTc4MTE5MjE4M30.L5Y39pM1fn8eipzN9y9C8TAgl7cMR8HKopGdNNADR-U/image.jpg%3Fwidth%3D1200%26height%3D400%26coordinates%3D243%252C0%252C243%252C0%22%2C%20%2235×35%22%3A%20%22https%3A//rebelmouse.good.is/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy81NTI5OTE4OS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTc4MTE5MjE4M30.L5Y39pM1fn8eipzN9y9C8TAgl7cMR8HKopGdNNADR-U/image.jpg%3Fwidth%3D35%26height%3D35%22%2C%20%22600x%22%3A%20%22https%3A//rebelmouse.good.is/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy81NTI5OTE4OS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTc4MTE5MjE4M30.L5Y39pM1fn8eipzN9y9C8TAgl7cMR8HKopGdNNADR-U/image.jpg%3Fwidth%3D600%22%2C%20%22300×300%22%3A%20%22https%3A//rebelmouse.good.is/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy81NTI5OTE4OS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTc4MTE5MjE4M30.L5Y39pM1fn8eipzN9y9C8TAgl7cMR8HKopGdNNADR-U/image.jpg%3Fwidth%3D300%26height%3D300%26coordinates%3D481%252C0%252C481%252C0%22%2C%20%221245×700%22%3A%20%22https%3A//rebelmouse.good.is/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy81NTI5OTE4OS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTc4MTE5MjE4M30.L5Y39pM1fn8eipzN9y9C8TAgl7cMR8HKopGdNNADR-U/image.jpg%3Fwidth%3D1245%26height%3D700%26coordinates%3D388%252C0%252C388%252C0%22%2C%20%22700×1245%22%3A%20%22https%3A//rebelmouse.good.is/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy81NTI5OTE4OS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTc4MTE5MjE4M30.L5Y39pM1fn8eipzN9y9C8TAgl7cMR8HKopGdNNADR-U/image.jpg%3Fwidth%3D700%26height%3D1245%26coordinates%3D533%252C0%252C533%252C0%22%2C%20%22210x%22%3A%20%22https%3A//rebelmouse.good.is/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy81NTI5OTE4OS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTc4MTE5MjE4M30.L5Y39pM1fn8eipzN9y9C8TAgl7cMR8HKopGdNNADR-U/image.jpg%3Fwidth%3D210%22%2C%20%221200×600%22%3A%20%22https%3A//rebelmouse.good.is/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy81NTI5OTE4OS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTc4MTE5MjE4M30.L5Y39pM1fn8eipzN9y9C8TAgl7cMR8HKopGdNNADR-U/image.jpg%3Fwidth%3D1200%26height%3D600%26coordinates%3D362%252C0%252C362%252C0%22%2C%20%221000×750%22%3A%20%22https%3A//rebelmouse.good.is/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy81NTI5OTE4OS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTc4MTE5MjE4M30.L5Y39pM1fn8eipzN9y9C8TAgl7cMR8HKopGdNNADR-U/image.jpg%3Fwidth%3D1000%26height%3D750%26coordinates%3D441%252C0%252C441%252C0%22%2C%20%22980x%22%3A%20%22https%3A//rebelmouse.good.is/media-library/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy81NTI5OTE4OS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTc4MTE5MjE4M30.L5Y39pM1fn8eipzN9y9C8TAgl7cMR8HKopGdNNADR-U/image.jpg%3Fwidth%3D980%22%7D%2C%20%22manual_image_crops%22%3A%20%7B%229×16%22%3A%20%7B%22sizes%22%3A%20%5B%22700×1245%22%5D%2C%20%22top%22%3A%200%2C%20%22height%22%3A%20238%2C%20%22width%22%3A%20134%2C%20%22left%22%3A%20533%7D%2C%20%22600×300%22%3A%20%7B%22sizes%22%3A%20%5B%22600×300%22%5D%2C%20%22top%22%3A%200%2C%20%22height%22%3A%20238%2C%20%22width%22%3A%20476%2C%20%22left%22%3A%20362%7D%2C%20%223×1%22%3A%20%7B%22sizes%22%3A%20%5B%221200×400%22%2C%20%22600×200%22%5D%2C%20%22top%22%3A%200%2C%20%22height%22%3A%20238%2C%20%22width%22%3A%20714%2C%20%22left%22%3A%20243%7D%2C%20%223×2%22%3A%20%7B%22sizes%22%3A%20%5B%221200×800%22%2C%20%22600×400%22%5D%2C%20%22top%22%3A%200%2C%20%22height%22%3A%20238%2C%20%22width%22%3A%20357%2C%20%22left%22%3A%20421%7D%2C%20%221×1%22%3A%20%7B%22sizes%22%3A%20%5B%22600×600%22%2C%20%22300×300%22%5D%2C%20%22top%22%3A%200%2C%20%22height%22%3A%20238%2C%20%22width%22%3A%20238%2C%20%22left%22%3A%20481%7D%2C%20%223×4%22%3A%20%7B%22sizes%22%3A%20%5B%221500×2000%22%2C%20%22750×1000%22%5D%2C%20%22top%22%3A%200%2C%20%22height%22%3A%20238%2C%20%22width%22%3A%20179%2C%20%22left%22%3A%20510%7D%2C%20%2216×9%22%3A%20%7B%22sizes%22%3A%20%5B%221245×700%22%5D%2C%20%22top%22%3A%200%2C%20%22height%22%3A%20238%2C%20%22width%22%3A%20424%2C%20%22left%22%3A%20388%7D%2C%20%224×3%22%3A%20%7B%22sizes%22%3A%20%5B%222000×1500%22%2C%20%221000×750%22%5D%2C%20%22top%22%3A%200%2C%20%22height%22%3A%20238%2C%20%22width%22%3A%20318%2C%20%22left%22%3A%20441%7D%2C%20%222×1%22%3A%20%7B%22sizes%22%3A%20%5B%221200×600%22%2C%20%22600×300%22%5D%2C%20%22top%22%3A%200%2C%20%22height%22%3A%20238%2C%20%22width%22%3A%20476%2C%20%22left%22%3A%20362%7D%7D%7D” caption=”Image Source: Reddit | u/[deleted]” photo_credit=”” title=””]

It is not that people haven’t walked distances like the one presented by this route. A man named Arthur Blessit once walked “round the world” covering over 64,753 kilometers, marking the longest-known religious pilgrimage. A Guinness World Records holder, Blessit visited all seven continents, including Antarctica, and crossed 321 nations, island groups, and territories. He did all this while carrying a wooden cross and preaching from the Bible.

Image Source: The traveling Christian preacher Arthur Blessitt with his cross in St. Peter's Square, Rome, December 16, 1979. (Photo by Edoardo Fornaciari/Getty Images)
Image Source: The traveling Christian preacher Arthur Blessitt with his cross in St. Peter's Square, Rome, December 16, 1979. (Photo by Edoardo Fornaciari/Getty Images)

Add to Google News

Tags

advertisement

More for You

  • How D.C.’s ‘humanure’ fertilizer creates lush gardens and big profits while improving the environment
    Photo credit: Canva – What you flush away could help your garden grow.
    ,

    How D.C.’s ‘humanure’ fertilizer creates lush gardens and big profits while improving the environment

    Human waste is helping grow lush greenery.

    Erik Barnes

    The District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority—now known as D.C. Water—has long provided water and sewer services to Washington, D.C. But for the past decade, the utility has also had an unexpected side hustle: turning human wastewater into fertilizer with flourishing results.

    At most wastewater treatment plants, flushed water is cleaned, while the remaining solid matter is hauled away for disposal. Over time, transporting and disposing of that waste can cost millions of dollars while increasing carbon emissions from the trucks carrying it. A decade ago, however, D.C. Water decided to invest in transforming the solid waste into “humanure” rather than throwing it away.

    Growin’ grass and makin’ gas

    At the end of the wastewater treatment process, the collected human waste solids are processed into biosolid fertilizer using technology developed by Norwegian company Cambi. The process doesn’t just produce high-quality fertilizer—it also generates biogas that can be put to good use.

    “So you get up to 40% more biogas,” Cambi CEO Eirik Fadnes said. “That biogas can be used to generate electricity to be used elsewhere in the wastewater-treatment plant or put on the grid and sold.”

    D.C. Water sells the biosolid fertilizer under the brand name Bloom, and it’s already proving to be a success. Bloom has been used throughout the Washington, D.C., area by customers including Catholic University, Mount Olivet Cemetery, and the Franciscan Monastery. It’s also used on numerous lawns, school grounds, community gardens, and golf courses.

    Success by the numbers

    The numbers underscore D.C. Water’s success. To date, nearly 400,000 tons of Bloom have been sold across Washington, D.C., Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, generating $13.6 million in revenue. D.C. Water originally estimated it would take 20 years for Bloom to pay off its investment. But thanks to strong demand from institutions, landscapers, and local garden centers, the utility is now on pace to recoup that investment in just 12 years.

    Bloom is also helping D.C. Water meet its environmental goals. By turning waste into a useful product instead of hauling it away for disposal, the utility has reduced its carbon footprint by roughly 50,000 metric tons of CO₂ emissions each year—the equivalent of taking more than 11,700 gas-powered cars off the road annually. The process also produces biogas, which can be converted into electricity to help offset the energy costs of wastewater treatment.

    Human waste works wonders

    None of this would matter if human biosolids weren’t effective at improving soil. “Humanure,” a term coined by Joseph Jenkins, refers to compost made from properly treated human waste. Because human feces can contain disease-causing pathogens, it must be handled carefully. After all, we call it “waste” for a reason.

    When human waste is composted correctly, naturally occurring microbes break down the organic material while generating enough heat to destroy harmful pathogens. Over time, the result is a nutrient-rich compost that can improve soil health. Some farmers even build specialized outdoor composting toilets to create humanure for use on their land.

    Should D.C. Water continue on this path of simultaneous profitability and environmental improvement, it’s likely other wastewater treatment plants will follow its lead.

    Keep Reading →
  • A Spanish park has been free of wildfires for over a decade thanks to 18 donkeys
    Photo credit: Canva – Donkeys and other livestock could help prevent mass wildfires.
    ,

    A Spanish park has been free of wildfires for over a decade thanks to 18 donkeys

    Gnawing our way to a wildfire solution.

    Erik Barnes

    According to NASA, wildfires have doubled worldwide due to climate change. Throughout the globe, governments and environmentalists have been trying to find ways to curb the fires. One particular national park in Spain has found a solution that has been keeping them fire-free for over a decade: donkeys.

    Since 2014, the Firefighting Donkey Battalion unit consisting of 18 donkeys has been preventing wildfires in Doñana National Park in Doñana, Spain. The mission these donkeys do is simple: eat the dry brush that usually sparks and fuels wildfires. The donkeys spend up to seven hours a day using their voracious appetites to graze and clear a 130 by 50 feet area of dried grass, scrub, and other vegetation.

    Why donkeys?

    While humans can do this type of clearing out of dry brush, using donkeys for this work is arguably more effective. While it is a slower process, it is consistent and thorough. Donkeys are able to quietly patrol in areas that are inaccessible to vehicles. In exchange for the feasting, the donkeys get about eight gallons of water and rest. No money or fuel needed.

    The donkeys’ bodies are also pretty much built for this kind of environmental work, too. Their stomachs are built to eat the same rough and dry grass repeatedly without issues. These daily grazings slowly but surely remove potential origin sources for fires. As a bonus, the donkeys are naturally disposing of the dried vegetation whereas humans would have to find a different way to dispose of it.

    Having donkeys or other livestock graze in such areas was once more common in agriculture prior to modern farming. Some argue that the machinization of farming and urbanization have reduced the number of grazing animals. This in turn allows more vegetation growth that become dry spots for more wildfires to occur.

    The method expands

    This method has been so successful that other areas of Spain have adopted it. In 2020, Tivissa launched the Burros Bomberos project with three donkeys to so much success they’ve expanded. They now have 40 donkeys grazing and clearing nearly 400 hectares of land.

    The Andrea Association in Allariz uses a team of donkeys to clear and maintain nearly 1,000 hectares of a biosphere reserve. Using GPS to monitor the donkeys’ activity, the group of grazers travel 19 kilometers per day to feed. Similar initiatives have since started in Basque Country, Catalonia, and Galicia, too.

    Other ways to combat wildfires

    In the United States, California has been using goats in a similar function. The group Fire Grazers Inc. has been contacted throughout California to bring hundreds of goats to eat dried vegetation. Much like donkeys, goats are built to eat rough and dry brush. This includes certain plants such as star thistle that are painful for human hands to grab.

    It’s important to note that donkeys or other animals that eat dry scrub are the primary solution to wildfires. The same folks behind these initiatives also advocate proper forest planning and land management. This includes reducing the amount of easily flammable species of plants and trees such as pine. It takes thought, care, work, and maybe a bunch of donkeys to make a difference.

    Keep Reading →
  • Beyond birds and mice, free‑ranging cats eat a surprising number of insects
    Photo credit: SKashkin/iStock / Getty Images Plus – Does that look tasty?
    ,

    Beyond birds and mice, free‑ranging cats eat a surprising number of insects

    Cats’ wild diet goes far beyond birds and mice

    Good Partner

    Christopher A. Lepczyk

    Christopher A. Lepczyk

    Daniel Rubinoff

    Daniel Rubinoff

    Jean E. Fantle-Lepczyk

    Jean E. Fantle-Lepczyk

    It’s pretty commonly known, and not very startling, that free-ranging cats eat birds and small rodents. But the degree to which they eat insects might surprise you.

    We are biologists who for many years have been trying to figure out what feral or outdoor-roaming pet cats eat outside.

    When domesticated cats – Felis catus – live freely in the wild or are allowed to hunt outside the homes where their owners live, they are an invasive species, which live in every ecosystem of the world except the continent of Antarctica. We wanted to know all of the species they eat – and to what degree free-ranging cats are eating endangered or threatened species.

    Examining reams of research

    Over the past two decades, we have evaluated hundreds of scientific findings, including searching through Google Scholar and Web of Science using the keywords “cat predation,” “feral cat,” “cat diet” and “Felis catus.” For each item we found, whether peer-reviewed or not, we evaluated whether it contained conclusive evidence of cat diet or predation. We also reviewed each one’s reference section for additional unique articles or databases pertaining to cat diet and predation, and included those in our search.

    Overall, we identified 533 unique publications – books, journal articles, theses and agency reports – that reported specific animal species consumed by cats. Cats’ plant-eating habits are occasionally, but haphazardly, noted in studies, so we did not include them in our analysis.

    Our initial work focused on an overall assessment of what free-ranging cats eat around the world. Published in 2023, this paper analyzed the 533 studies on cat diet or predation events published over more than a century and found that cats ate nearly 2,100 different species of animals, including invertebrates.

    Of those 2,100, the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species listed 347 as “near threatened,” “vulnerable,” “endangered,” “critically endangered” or “extinct” in 2023. Some of the species went extinct during the many decades covered by the data.

    Most of the species cats eat are not in danger

    Insects and the like

    Most of the species cats ate were vertebrates – mostly birds, followed by mammals and reptiles. But the data also indicated that at least 7% of the species cats eat are insects and other invertebrates, particularly beetles, and less frequently crustaceans, arachnids, centipedes, snails and slugs, and millipedes.

    Many of the cat studies we reviewed did not report on how many individuals of a given species cats ate, so it was unclear what the total amount of insects was or how many calories cats are deriving from insects.

    Invertebrates make up more than 70% of all terrestrial animal species and are important pollinators, predators and herbivores in virtually every nonmarine ecosystem. Many invertebrates are in decline globally due to urbanization, habitat destruction, increases in both light and pesticide pollution, and climate change. So we dug deeper into the data to understand what invertebrates cats are eating.

    While a little more than one-third of all the studies we analyzed included invertebrates as part of cats’ diet, most of those failed to identify specific species of invertebrates. But we were able to find identifications of 148 invertebrate species.

    Of those, two are considered endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature: the Aldabran grasshopper (Pternoscirtus aldabrae) in Seychelles and the Tasmanian giant freshwater crayfish (Astacopsis gouldi), which can grow up to 13 pounds (6 kilograms). Two others are considered vulnerable: wētāpunga (Deinacrida heteracantha), an insect native to New Zealand that can be about the size of a mouse, and the common yabby (Cherax destructor), a freshwater crayfish native to southeastern Australia. One other, the Canary Islands horned beetle (Arhopalus pinetorum), is listed as “near threatened.”

    A cat licks its lips while crouching over a dead mouse.
    Not surprising: Cat eats mouse. Julian Stratenschulte/picture alliance via Getty Images

    Effects on populations

    We have not found formal research evaluating how cats’ eating habits affect invertebrate populations. And for many species, they are likely not as significant a factor as wide-scale pesticide use.

    But it’s possible that cats could be significant contributors to the deaths of rare species or in specific locations.

    Cats require a large amount of protein, as much as one-third of their daily diet, and invertebrates are good sources of protein.

    In many places, invertebrates provide an easy source of food. Whether in an urban backyard or on a remote island, cats are unlikely to turn a blind eye to available prey. And some cats may find it entertaining to chase, catch and eat insects even if they don’t need their nutrition.

    A challenge of researching this question is that many invertebrates are relatively small, which makes direct observation in the field harder and can require more analytical approaches in the lab. And they have soft bodies, without distinguishing characteristics that could be easily recognized in scat or stomach contents.

    However, molecular technologies can identify species using trace amounts of DNA left in the environment by animals. Promising new studies are beginning to identify what cats eat by analyzing the DNA found in their stomachs and scat. That research may help explore in even more detail what cats are eating in the outdoors, and how it’s affecting various species and the environment as a whole.

    This article originally appeared on The Conversation. You can read it here.

    Keep Reading →

advertisement

children, social media, mental health, laws
Work

New York passes SAFE for Kids Act to protect children from social media addiction

aging, lifespan, science, discovery
Research

New Russian research suggests that the human lifespan could be up to 156 years

midnight chef, social media, cooking, late night snack
Internet

Woman documents her nephew’s late night culinary quests as the viral ‘Midnight Chef’

medical debt, debt relief, economy, government
Money Culture

Millions of Illinois residents wake up to find that $2.6 billion of their medical debt has been eliminated

firefighters, kidney donation, health, kindness
Local

Arizona firefighter donates her kidney to a fellow firefighter—her husband

Sign Up for the Daily Good!

By subscribing, you accept beehiiv's Terms of Use & Privacy Policy. Our site's Privacy Policy applies.

Advertisement

Explore More Environment Stories

See All
biosolid fertilizer, gardening, waste water treatment, environment
Environment

How D.C.’s ‘humanure’ fertilizer creates lush gardens and big profits while improving the environment

Erik Barnes
donkey, wildfire, environment, forest
Environment

A Spanish park has been free of wildfires for over a decade thanks to 18 donkeys

Erik Barnes
Does that look tasty?
Environment

Beyond birds and mice, free‑ranging cats eat a surprising number of insects

Good Partner
plastic bottles, clean energy, hydrogen, environment
Environment

The University of Cambridge found a way to reduce plastic waste and create clean hydrogen energy at the same time

Erik Barnes