Centipedes

Did you know that one species of centipede can be a foot long? Thankfully, this type only lives in South America. Centipedes are insect-like invertebrates. They are usually reddish-brown in color, but can range in color from yellow to dark brown. Depending on the species, are between 3 and 30 centimeters long. A centipede has one pair of legs on each of its body segments. The head is flattened, with a pair of long antennae. They have jaws containing poison glands on their first body segment, directly behind their head. Centipedes can live for around six years. Most centipedes have very poor eyesight and are almost blind. All centipedes have venom for paralyzing and killing prey. Small ones prey mainly on small arthropods but large ones can tackle small lizards and baby mice. These creatures will eat other centipedes, earthworms, insects, spiders, and, if they are big enough, small birds, toads, and reptiles. Some centipedes have only 30 legs, but others can have up to 350. Besides walking, centipedes use their legs in some strange ways. They can use them to inject venom into their prey, to distract predators by dropping their legs off, or secrete chemicals which repel predators. This chemical enters predators when the centipede pierces the predator’s skin with its leg. A centipede’s last pair of legs can be used like antennae to feel their way along when they are walking backwards.

Centipedes are classified in the kingdom Animalia, the phylum Arthropoda, the class Chilopoda, the order Lithobiomorpha, and the family Lithobiidae. Some specific kinds of centipedes include the Lithobius fortificatus (garden centipede), Hemiscolopendra marginata (Florida blue centipede), the Gigantea robusta (Peruvian giant), and the Heros castaneiceps (Red headed). Centipedes are found almost anywhere, except for deep deserts and Polar Regions. No centipedes live in the water, although they are closely related to crustaceans like crabs. Centipedes also like to live in human houses, where they will live in dark and moist areas like closets, basements, and bathrooms. In a way, centipedes are almost like birds because if you disturb centipede eggs the mother centipede will abandon, destroy, or even eat her own eggs! In the entire world, there are over 3,000 species of centipedes.