Friday, February 18, 2011

Centipede


True Wild Life | Centipede | The centipede is a speedy, carnivorous invertebrate that is found generally around decaying matter all around the world. Centipedes are not only carnivorous animals but the bite of the centipede also contains venom which means that the centipede kills it's prey before eating it. Despite their name, and the common conception that a centipede has 100 legs, this is in fact not true. The centipede has pairs of legs that run the length of the body of the centipede, which are normally between 15 and 30 pairs of legs in total and not 50.


There are thought to be around 8,000 species of centipede worldwide, although only about 3,000 have actually been properly documented and undergone intense studying in the scientific world. The centipede can be found worldwide and has even been spotted inside the Arctic Circle. The centipede can range in size from a few millimetres to 30 cm long. The centipede has a bite that will be painful to humans but not fatal unless the human is allergic (like with wasp/bee stings).


The centipede is usually found on land in moist habitats usually under rocks, leaf litter, logs and occasionally in burrows in the ground or rotting wood. The centipede favours damp environments and so is rarely found in the hot and dry desert regions. The centipede is one of the most dominant predators of the insect world, having claws on their first body segment is one of the centipedes noticeable traits. The centipede is a carnivorous animal and is therefore a pure meat-eater. Centipedes mainly prey on insects, spiders, earthworms and other small invertebrates although some large species of centipede have been known to prey on small mammals and reptiles.


The centipede has a number of predators in it's natural environment although all the animals that generally prey on the centipede are relatively small. Birds, toads, frogs and small mammals such as shrews and mice are the most common predators of the centipede. The centipede is also seen by humans in certain cultures. Female centipedes lay an average of 60 eggs per clutch which are coated in a sticky substance for protection. The female centipede usually buries her eggs in the soil and some species of centipede are known to nurse their eggs and baby centipedes but not all.


The centipede is one of the oldest animals on Earth having evolved into the form it is today, millions of years ago. The centipede has been found in fossils dating over 400 million years old.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

horrible keep away yourself

Anonymous said...

Has this earth life earned a place on future star ships that leave the earth never to return or should they be left behind to reign over a lifeless cinder?

Anonymous said...

See the 3rd picture from the top of this page? This was slithering across my living room carpet with it's head up like a python snake. Scary! I live in the desert and says they don't like dry environments (I do have grass though) I'm getting some bug spray out to spray the perimeter of my house.

Anonymous said...

I saw the third picture at work on my desk. I was so terrified for the whole day I am shaking and feeling so week that I could not focus. My question is how the hell it got on my desk.

Anonymous said...

I caught the third centipede on the bathroom while getting ready for a shower. It was not a good sight. There was a glass jar there so I just placed it over the centipede and went online to know if it had venom. Sad to say, this is the 3dr time we have caught one of these in 6 months. This is an old house and I dont know what else is crawling under the house. Any suggestions?

Anonymous said...

i found a black racist centipede who was talking to me about yellow and white people :( hmmph

Anonymous said...

i met one while taking a shower . i was washing my clothes. at the site of it i put on the washed wet soapy clothes and ran out screaming.

berto putik said...

I just found one in my room, I was sleeping with my blanket rolled into my body then I felt something was inside which at first I was scared to think that it might be a cockroach so I hurriedly stand up and then I saw this centipede of a different kind, something not posted above. I really scared because I believe that it's sting can be really harmful. It escaped at first but I wait for 5 minutes for it to come out again and now it is dead. I was lucky it didn't bite me. Thanks God!
But I am still suspicious how it happened that a centipede got into my room, maybe someone brought it there to take me down.hmmm.

Anonymous said...

GROSS!!!!!i havent seen somthing more sick than that in my life.my uncle said there good on toast.

Anonymous said...

Yes just found one in my bedroom! Freaked me out!!! Now I'm scared to go to sleep :(

Anonymous said...

Got bit by one of these (a semi-tropical orange variety). I initially thought I had come in contact with a live electrical wire. Felt like a shock. Then my whole hand felt like it was on fire. I tried hot/cold nothing worked. Lasted for about two hours, then went away.

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