Giant Scolopendra Gigantea

According to some scientific findings about centipedes, most of their species are not venomous enough to kill humans or large animals unless they are allergic to the bite. But among all the species, one among the most threatening of their kind is the "Scolopendra Gigantea" which is more commonly known as the "Amazonian Giant Centipede".

Amazonian giant centipedes find their perfect dwelling place or habitat at the tropical climate of South America's Amazon jungle.

Amazon Jungle

A scolopendra gigantea can actually grow into a massive size which makes it unique and quite fascinating especially to any centipede pet owners. An adult or fully matured scolopendra gigantea can reach over 35 centimeters in length. This is comparable to the length of a man's forearm. And with such incredible size, anyone who hasn't encountered this kind of centipede will surely tremble and run away in fear.

The shell-color of an amazonian giant centipede is commonly "red-maroon" or "dark-brown". Most of them actually possess dark colors. No one is able to confirm yet if there's an amazonian giant centipede with bright colors.

When it comes to the legs, a fully matured scolopendra gigantea usually consists of around 46 color-yellow tinted legs. Common to all centipedes, if it happens that they lost one of their legs, they actually have the capability to grow a new one.

As a hunter or predator of the jungle, a giant amazonian centipede possess the power of speed to run around unnoticed. Due to this characteristics, some scientists describe them as "Swift Runners". Other than their speedy movement, these creatures are also good climbers. With their several pairs of legs, it allows them to climb through vertical surfaces with ease.

Scolopendra Gigantea are Carnivorous Creatures

All kinds of centipedes are actually both "carnivores" and "herbivores" (they eat dead plants). However, they are more categorized as carnivorous creatures because they prefer to eat meat. Probably, meat taste better to their appetite.

Small-sized centipedes have a long lists on their food menu which are other smaller creatures particularly insects as their prey. Some of these insects includes ants, beetles, spiders and termites. Common small-sized centipedes are the "House Centipedes" which can be observed running around the corners of an untidy room.

Unlike house centipedes, scolopendra gigantea does not invade house premises where they prefer to stay in the jungle. Due to their large sizes, they are surprisingly capable of hunting large rats in the rice-field. In fact, they can also hunt down small snakes. But above all, the most impressive display of their hunting skill is that, they can hunt bats living inside caves.

According to some biologists, the amazonian giant centipedes have highly developed quick responses. This is what makes them as "fierce hunters" and the reason why they can catch a flying bat in an instant.

Today, there's a growing number of exotic pet owners who are adding giant centipedes into their collections. If you are one of them and it's your first-time to own one of this kind of pet, you are advised not to touch or handle it with your bare hands. You have to know that a slight venom of the creature can cause severe reactions into your skin.

Although, some pet owners are able to handle their giant centipedes without getting harmed or bitten it's because they already have good handling experiences.

Finally, do you own a scolopendra gigantea giant centipede? If you do then it would be really grateful if you can share to us your experiences especially on how you handle and take good care of your pet.

Centipedes and their Habitats

Centipedes can actually be found all over the world consisting of different species. Each species are interestingly unique with one another where they can inhabit different types of environments (like the tropics and moist forests). Most species of centipedes have the capability to thrive on hot or warm weather conditions but as long as there's a source of water nearby. One interesting fact about centipedes is that, their bodies can absorb water which keeps them hydrated for long period of time. In short, Any place with a warm climate and moist places can actually become a perfect habitat for the centipedes to live.

Some common places with a large number of different species of centipedes are known in the regions of North America, South America, New Zealand and United Kingdom.

According to most scientific studies about centipedes, these creatures are more known to take shelters under decaying woods, near rock formations, loose type of soil, base boards and in the gardens. It's because these areas allows them to stay warm and at the same time, prevents their bodies from drying up. In addition, living in tight objects can protect them from other more fearsome predators.

Did you know that several centipedes can live or hide fitting themselves in a small decaying log?

A female centipedes can actually have up to fifty or more eggs. Surprisingly, parental centipedes together with their eggs can live in a small log along with the other centipedes without needing a larger room for breeding.

Despite the fact that centipedes can inhabit various places of the world, there are actually two regions where they won't be able to survive. They are the Arctic and Antarctic regions. These two places can freeze the centipedes to their deaths. Since the areas are nothing but cold and ice, they won't surely last longer than a few hours. Furthermore, there has been no record of any centipede findings in the Arctic or Antarctic so long as they have been here on Earth.

Some Common Centipedes and their Habitats

Scutigeromorpha

The most common and popular specie of centipedes is the "Scutigeromorpha" or "House Centipedes". They are very fast creatures who can endure high-falls even at a rate of very fast speed.

House centipedes have multi-segmented antennae, compound eyes and they have adapted the characteristic of burrowing themselves around their habitat. Their average body-length ranges from 2.5 to 3 centimeters only. As for the color of their body, some people describe them as grayish-yellow, brownish-yellow, dark-orange or yellowish-gold.

Scutigeromorpha are commonly found hidden inside homes. Thus, they are considered as pests. According to some statistical survey, Southern Africa and Madagascar has the highest number of house centipede infestation.

Lithobiomorpha

"Lithobiomorpha" is also known as "Stone Centipedes" and they are very similar to the scutigeromorpha specie. But their main difference is that, lithobiomorpha had lost their compound eyes which according to the scientific discovery, they lost it due to the process of evolution that took place through time. Instead of an eye, they have a group of ocelli. Another difference is that they have shorter legs and antennae.

Stone centipedes are commonly found inhabiting various regions of New Zealand.

Craterostigmomorpha

The least diverse centipede group is the "Craterostigmomorpha" which inhabits both regions of Tasmania and New Zealand. Centipedes in this group are generally greenish-brown in color with a large red-brown head supporting the creature's massive forcipules. Despite of its existence, many scientists still have very little information about their biology. Although, it is estimated that this specie had originated for about 375 million years ago.

Scolopendromorpha

The "Scolopendromorpha" specie is also known as the "Tropical Centipedes" and they are considered as the world's largest centipede. These creatures possess between 21 to 43 body segments with a total body-length that measures an average of over 16 centimeters in length. As for their antennae, it usually consists of 17 segments.

Although, there are some slight differences of other scolopendromorpha specie to their native counterparts that inhabits on the same regions of New Zealand. Some Tropical Centipedes do not exceed 5 centimeters. And unique to them is that, they always have 21 pairs of legs and are either blind or have ocelli.

Geophilomorpha

"Geophilomorpha" is also known as "Soil Centipedes". You may be surprised to know that they are "eyeless" and blind creatures. Due to their blindness, they are like earthworms that have adapted themselves living beneath the ground.

Their long and thin bodies possess numerous short legs ranging from 31 to 181 pairs. As for their body-length, they can grow from 1 to 25 centimeters long. Their common type of colors can be reddish-brown or pale yellow.

Soil centipedes can be found inhabiting any areas of the world that offers them a thriving place such as the gardens, yards, woodlands and agricultural land farms.

Moreover, there are over 3,000 identified species of centipedes across the world with varying habitats. Not to mention those that are still unidentified and undiscovered species. Who knows that there can be a newly evolved specie that can survive at any kind of environment.

Millipedes and Silverfish

Centipedes and "Millipedes" are commonly mistaken by many individuals from one another because of their worm-like body and countless number of legs. They may actually seem like similar in appearance but there are several aspects that can be closely observed to distinguish them apart. Millipedes are usually dark colored with two pairs of legs per body segments. While the centipedes, they usually have reddish brown color with only one pair of legs per body segments.

The easiest method in distinguishing centipedes from the millipedes is by observing the number of legs on their body. A Centipede actually have fewer number of legs than millipedes and have more flattened type of body.

Foods for Centipedes and Millipedes

Both centipedes and millipedes feed on dead plants but the centipedes prefers more hunting for small insects such as flies, ants, cockroaches and etc... They are actually good hunters equipped with their fast-running legs and jaws that secretes venom into their prey. Millipedes doesn't possess such aggressive predatory characteristic of the centipedes so they often simply stick eating dead plants for their diets (some special species of millipedes are known to feed on small insects, earthworms and snails).

Most people view the centipedes as a "not-so-attractive" type of bugs. Nevertheless, they are actually beneficial to the growth of garden plants as they feed on both dead plants and pesky insects. Thus, they provide the lawn a free fertilizing nutrients into the soil. Although, it is still generally important to keep an eye to the population levels of both centipedes and millipedes. It's because their population growth can result into the loss of the garden plants.

Habitats

Aside from the differences in appearances, both centipedes and millipedes thrive in moist habitats. They often find shelter under rocks, composts, under rotting woods and etc... According to some sources, both creatures propagates across the regions of U.S. and Europe.

Other than the outside environment, centipede species known as "House Centipedes" prefers to take shelter inside homes along with other insects that they can catch and eat. The same thing goes to the millipedes. But despite of their predacious characteristics, they are harmless to humans and animal pets. In fact, they are even beneficial for eliminating other insect-pests inside the house.

House Centipedes and the Silverfish

Both house centipedes and "Silverfish" are pesky creatures that lurks around a certain untidy house. Just like the millipedes, house centipedes and silverfish are also often mistaken with one another. But most importantly, once you spotted either one of them, you are advised to seek immediate help from the professional exterminators as their numbers can grow at a fast alarming rate.

Comparison between a House Centipede and Silverfish

The name of the insect, "silverfish" was derived from the silver-gray color of their soft body and their body-shape that look-like a fish. As for the house centipedes, they usually have light brown or yellowish colors.

An average mature size of a silverfish ranges from one-quarter and one-half of an inch long. In comparison to the house centipedes, they are much longer in length which goes between 1 to 1.5 inches long for the males while the females can grow for up to 3 inches long.

A silverfish's head consists of two antennae and connected into their abdomen are a total of six legs (three legs on each opposite sides). House centipede also have two long antennae on top of its head but with more number of legs. The average total legs of an adult house centipede ranges between 15 to 30 pairs of legs.

Many people think that a silverfish can fly. They actually don't because they do not have wings.

Silverfish Foods and Habitats

Both house centipede and silverfish thrive on similar type of environment or habitat. They do prefer to take shelter inside houses that provides them a good source of food for their survival.

When it comes to food, silverfish have a long list on their menu. They can actually eat almost any type of objects as long as they consists of carbohydrates and sugar contents on them. Some examples of their favorite foods are things like paper, natural fibers, crumbs, dried foods and etc... On the other hand, house centipedes only prey on other living insects and the silverfish is just one among them.

Are Centipedes Dangerous to Humans and Animals?

Common to all species of centipedes is that they possess a venom in which they use it to inject into their prey causing them to get paralyzed. The only differences among them is that, some species particularly those that belong into the wild have a more potent venom. Wild centipedes even have bigger sizes in which they are capable of injecting larger quantity of their venom into their prey.

The centipede's venom is actually strong enough to immobilize any insects especially those that are smaller and weaker. However, their venom have very little effect on small animals including house pets and reptiles.

A centipede posses a "Maxillipeds" that very is similar to a "pincer" which they use to sting their victims. Some people also refer the maxillipeds as the "Poison Claws".

The maxillipeds or poison claws are located at the top of the centipede's head which allow them an easy access to deliver their bite. Upon biting their victims, they will inject their toxic venom through those claws. Luckily, most animals including humans have strong immune-resistance against their deadly bites (but except for the pain).

Most of the victims of centipede bites are the children who loves to play on the dirt, gardens or outdoors. As for the animals, they are those who spend most of their time from the outside environment.

Some medical experts claims that centipede bites or their venom are known as harmless for both humans and animals. If it happens that a certain individual or animal got bitten, the side effects of the venom will only last for a few hours and they are gone. It actually depends on the size of the centipede, a giant sized centipede tends to inflict a more agonizing pain. And, the pain from the bite can last for up to a few days and it can be very uncomfortable.

Those who have allergies to a centipede bite are advised to call or seek immediate help from the doctors or go to the emergency room if any symptoms are suddenly observed. The common known side effects and symptoms are as follows:

1. Swelling
2. Skin Irritation
3. Mild Pain
4. Discoloration
5. Numbness

How Dangerous are the Centipedes to Dogs?

It is actually normal for any dogs to pick small things up especially something that is moving around the ground. So if it happens that your house is infested with house centipedes then, there are chances that your dog might have already eaten one of them. On this case, will your pet get poisoned and die?

House centipedes are quite more harmless as compared to their wild species-counterpart that lives in the forest. Most of those wild centipedes even have bigger sizes that they can surprisingly prey on mouse and small snakes.

Common house centipedes measures an average size of about 1 to 3 inches long. They do bite their prey with their sharp fangs but if they are going to use it against humans or large animals, their fangs might not be able to penetrate through their skins.

Going back into the question above, if it happens that your dog ate a house centipede then there isn't nothing to worry about because no serious harm will happen to your pet. In fact, even if your dog ate a wild centipede, your pet is completely safe.

The explanation is that, a centipede's venom will only work once it gets injected into a human or animal's bloodstream. So if your dog ate or swallowed the creature without getting bitten, there is no way the venom could get inside the bloodstream of your pet.

Wild Centipedes

As already mentioned above, wild centipedes that dwell in the forest have a huge differences to those found inside the house. They are actually bigger in size and equipped with sharper fangs and more potent venom. Now, if a wild (giant) centipede had bitten a dog, will the dog die?

The answer is "No" but it will bring a lot of pain to the dog that could last for a few hours which has the same effect to humans. A dog can only be seriously harmed if he or she is allergic to the centipede's bite.

Is it Safe for a Dog to keep Eating House Centipedes?

Upon knowing that dogs won't get harmed by eating house centipedes, it doesn't really mean that you have completely nothing to worry about. If your pet enjoy chasing and eating them around, you have to know that those insects could possibly carry diseases or bacteria. As a result, your pet may end up getting sick from eating them.

To protect or prevent your pet from eating house centipedes, the best way to get rid of them are through the methods that has already been shared on the previous posts of this blog.

Overall, when speaking about a centipede bite, it has already been confirmed by clinical doctors that it is not dangerous to humans and animals. But, with the exemption of those who are allergic to the creature's bite.

How to keep Giant Centipede as a Pet?

There's a sudden interests of a growing number of individuals who wants to keep giant centipedes as one of their pets. Due to them, such creatures are now being sold from Pet Stores and even via online stores.

According to some centipede pet owners, they find the obsession of keeping centipedes as their pet due to their varied colors and their unquenchable appetite of eating their prey. As a matter of fact, most centipede pet owners are actually being fascinated by how these many legged creature catches their helpless victims and feed on them.

The best place to watch centipedes in action is to visit YouTube. In the past previous post, I have covered giant centipede versus other top predators such as mouse, snakes, scorpions and etc... Included in the discussion are the links to their YouTube videos.

You may already have probably seen some owners holding their own giant centipede pet with their own "bare hands". Be warned that only few individuals can do this act that only trained handlers can perform. In fact, even professionals handlers claim that there's still a risk of them from being bitten by the insect.

If it happens that you seem to have the interest of keeping a giant centipede as a pet, you have to be warned that they do bite resulting into extreme and excruciating pain. Due to this reason, they are pets strictly for adult individuals only.

Taking care a giant centipede as a pet isn't just like any other ordinary pets around. So before you start owning one of them, you need to conduct a thorough research about these creatures first.

Proper Housing of a Centipede Pet

The house or container of your centipede pet is of vital importance. If you do not provide them the right environment comparable to their habitat then they won't live long enough.

Here are the following tips on how to provide a proper housing for your many-legged pet:

1. Enough room

The house or the container must provide enough room for your pet to move around. If you are planning to take care two or more giant centipedes then you should make sure that there is enough room for them to stretch and explore around the corners.

2. Soil

Centipedes do really love to cover or bury themselves underground (particularly with soil). Thus, you should fill the bottom floor of the container with soft type of soil (maybe at least 2 to 3 inches). It is important that you must maintain the soil always at its soft condition.

3. Maintaining Temperature of the Environment

Since centipedes inhabit swampy and misty environments, it is important that you have to offer the same type of atmosphere to your pet's new home.

4. Other components

Aside from the soil, you should also add other components such as bark, leaf litter and rotting woods. You will be surprised to know that they also love to burrow themselves under them.

5. Container Walls must be High

The height of the container or its walls must be high enough that you centipede pet won't be able to reach the lid and escape out. Take not, sealing the opening of the container in order to prevent your pet from escaping out is not a good idea. Your pet won't be able to breathe air and die.

Centipede Pets that are for Sale

I myself actually have the interest of keeping a giant centipede as a pet. So I went visiting all Pet Shops near my place. As a result, there were only few numbers of giant centipedes that I found on-sale. When I asked the seller "Why?", he claims the there's a huge demand for centipede pets these days. Most of them are even requesting him rare species that they are willing to pay it for a very high price.

Here are the following giant centipedes that are commonly available on various Pet Shops:

Common Species

1. Vietnamese Giant Centipede

2. Red Head Tiger Leg Centipede

3. Amazon Centipede

(*Prices of the above species starts at $25.)

Rare Species

1. Barbados Giant Centipede

2. Chilean Centipede

3. Fan Tailed Centipede

4. Egyptian Centipede

5. Haiti Giant Centipede

6. Tanzanian Centipede

Catch or Buy your own Centipede Pet

If there are places you know where you can catch giant centipedes (such as in the forest) then you may choose to catch one provided that you know how to capture it. If you don't then you are simply putting yourself at risk of getting bitten by the insect.

In order for you to catch a wild-giant centipede, you need to wear appropriate protective gear. These includes boots, gloves and clothing that covers most of your skin body-parts.

Catching a wild centipede is best done by using a net rather than grabbing it by hand. Some people also use sticks but this isn't advisable to be used especially when it's your first-time to capture a centipede.

Anyway, if you have the extra-money and you do not want to put yourself at the risk of catching one then your best option is to buy it from the Pet Shop.

Giant Centipede Pet for Exterminating Bug Infestation

If your main purpose of keeping or owning a giant centipede as a pet is to exterminate bug infestation around your house, sad to say that this is not the solution into your problem. Assuming that you set your pet out "free" to roam around the corner of your house, what if you suddenly encounter it on your bed or on the sofa? If you didn't notice its presence and you lay down on it, you will surely feel an agonizing pain of its bite.

Giant centipedes are considered good pets for the adult individuals but they are not intended for exterminating bug infestations. The best method for bug infestation problem is "still" to seek immediate help from the professional bug exterminators.

Moreover, keeping a giant centipede as a pet is both interesting and challenging. However, some owners do gave up due to the reason that they could not sustain or provide the food that their pet needs. So if you do not have a good source of acquiring foods for your pet then owning a centipede pet is not for you.

Wild or Giant Centipedes versus Other Predators

Wild or Giant Centipedes proves to be at the "top of the food-chain" (specifically in the world of the insect) because they can actually prey on any kind of insects that they can come across around. To confirm their supremacy among other predatory insects, I have conducted further researches and found several interesting results at YouTube.

Here are the following results of my research which confirms that centipedes are the kings and queens of the insects:

Giant Centipede versus Giant Tarantula

If a giant centipede goes against a giant tarantula, who do you think is going to win?

First, let's discuss both qualities of the two predators regarding on how they attack and defend themselves. Through their attacks and defensive mechanisms, we can derive our speculation on who will gain the glory of supremacy against one another.

The Giant Centipede

Giant Centipede Attacking Mechanism

Common to all kinds or species of centipedes are their fearsome "poison claws". Scientists identified them as "toxicognaths" (which is like a pincer) located at the adjacent part of their head.

As compared to other venomous insects that stings, centipedes does not inject their poison but they do deliver it right into their victims through their bites. When a centipede is going to attack its prey, it will grab its target followed by a quick bite and at the same time releases its toxic venom. The poison will immediately take effect paralyzing the victim making it unable to move.

Giant Centipede Defensive Mechanism

No matter how fierce the centipedes as predators, they can also end up as prey against other more superior creatures in the forest. In order to defend themselves, centipedes has the ability to "camouflage" (conceal or hid themselves). But their most interesting defensive mechanism is that, if a tougher predator managed to grasp a centipede's leg, the centipede can actually drop or release its leg off from its body to flee itself.

The Giant Tarantula

A giant tarantula is a spider-specie that is feared by many individuals especially in the US. The size of this spider alone is very frightening and the threat of their bite to humans is also similar to the centipedes. Tarantulas also possess "neurotoxic venoms". According to some scientific studies, a tarantula's venom isn't good enough to kill humans or animals. In fact, there weren't any recorded incidents or verified cases of human death concerning about a tarantula bite.

Giant Tarantula Attacking Mechanism

A tarantula's main offensive weapon is its pair of fangs. The fangs posses muscular base that is attached from the head. It can be described as a "backward-pointing" fang in which the venom comes out (secreted from the glands inside the basal part).

When a giant tarantula attacks its prey, it will aggressively drive its fangs right into the body of its victim. At the same time, the venom is injected causing its prey to be completely paralyzed.

Giant Tarantula Defensive Mechanism

According to some scientific research, the hairs of a giant tarantula spider can penetrate through the soft skin tissues of your skin. This can result into "urtication" or "irritation".

Who do you think will win the match between a giant centipede against a giant tarantula?

Before you derive on your own conclusion, you may first want to watch this short video of an actual battle of the two competitors above.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qf8pAwGsuF4

Based from the video, the giant centipede easily preyed on the unsuspecting giant tarantula. The spider got bitten from behind (or ambushed) making it unable to fight back and defend itself. If it happens that the tarantula managed to avoid the centipede's sneaky attack, do you think that the spider have the chance of beating the centipede?

The answer is "No". If the tarantula will simply run away then it will have better chances of surviving but if not, the giant centipede can still take the spider down. It's because the giant centipede has tougher armor and equipped with more legs that can easily out-power the pitiful tarantula.

Giant Centipede versus Giant Hornet/Wasp

When a giant centipede will aggressively attack its prey, you will be surprised by its fast and very speedy crawling prowess. When you see one coming or charging towards you, you can actually outrun it provided that you are a good runner. But, not for the case of a flying giant hornet.

Giant hornets actually belong to the "Wasp" family. They are flying insects with large, fat rounded bodies and they do emit a noisier sound as compared to their ordinary species. The most fearsome about them is their powerful sting filled with high-volume of venom that they use as defensive mechanism.

Despite of the hornet's fearsome appearance and annoying vibrating sound, they are not aggressive to anyone. To tell you something interesting, there were already several stunts performed by different individuals allowing themselves to be crawled by a large number of hornets all over their bodies. As a result, no harm was done to them by this kind of friendly wasps.

Is the hornet venom dangerous to human?

Unfortunately, there were a few records of individuals who died from wasps sting. Most of these individuals were those with allergic-reaction to the flying insect's venom. Hornet's sting can be really painful where the damage or harm that it can bring to their human victim is comparable to the Yellow Jacket or Bee.

As mentioned above, hornets are not aggressive type of insects but they won't hesitate to attack anyone who are blocking their flight-path or moving rapidly towards their nests.

Common to all wasps, a hornet's stinging apparatus consists of a "sac" which contains the venom. Along with the sac is a sharp injection-tube which they use to penetrate their victim's flesh before extracting the venom in.

According to some scientists, a hornet's venom sac contains around 50 mg of venom. And when they do sting their prey, they usually inject about 10/15 mg of their venom which means that they can sting up to 3 to 5 five times before their sac of venom is emptied. Once their sac got completely depleted, it may take some time before it gets to be filled up again.

Here is an interesting video that I found about a giant centipede preying on a giant hornet:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZZE_Trw5zE

Based on my observation, the battle between the giant centipede against the giant hornet was a "slaughter". If you are going to take a close look, you will realize that the two contenders were enclosed inside a glass-cage. With such battleground, the giant centipede surely does have the upper hand.

Hornets actually rely on their flying capability to hunt down their prey (usually by surprise). But with an enclosed environment, the hornet cannot barely fly around until it got tired and was caught by the giant centipede.

Giant Centipede versus Giant Scorpion

Scorpions are just like crabs where they posses two-large pincers which they use to grab and wrestle their prey. They also have eight pairs of legs which allow them to move quick enough to catch their food. However, the most dangerous part of a scorpion's attacking mechanism are their tails.

A scorpion's tail actually consists of several segments with an average length that ranges from 9 to 21 cm. At the end or tip of their tail is called the "stinger" or "telson". This stinger or telson is a very sharp needle in which they use to sting into their prey and at the same time, apply their venomous toxins.

Are scorpions dangerous to humans?

There is actually a very large number of scorpions belonging to different species. But, most of their species are harmless to both humans and animals. According to some researchers, they had an estimate of about 2000 species of scorpions that currently exists on this period of our time. In addition, there are only 25 to 40 unique species that has the capability to inject potent venom to kill their human or animal victims.

Here's a video owned by "Monster Bug Wars" where they had featured a fierce battle of survival between a giant centipede and a giant scorpion.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XE-LMPHR_TY

As shown on the video, the giant centipede was the aggressor. It keeps on attacking the scorpion that was simply waiting and trying to defend itself. At first, the giant centipede was having a hard time on its attempt to grab the giant scorpion. This was because of the scorpion's large and strong pincers that prevents the many-legged creature from getting close to it.

After several engagements, the centipede was finally able to grab the tail of the scorpion. It then bit off the scorpion's tail to disable it from delivering or injecting its poison.

With the scorpion's tail disabled, all it can do now was to rely on its pair of pincers. Unfortunately, the giant centipede has a bigger size body with more number of legs which makes it impossible for the scorpion to out-wrestle it. As a result, the scorpion was defeated.

Centipede versus Grasshopper Mouse

Normally, centipedes only prey on small sized insects such as bugs, spiders and cockroaches. Interestingly, giant centipedes can also hunt larger-sized prey such as the "Grasshopper Mouse".

National Geographic Channel have a wonderful discovery about the outcome of a giant centipede battling a grasshopper mouse. You can watch the video on the link provided below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOsmeOceOsg

As shown on the video, the giant centipede had aggressively invaded the mouse's nest without fear. Those new born babies of the mother grasshopper mouse can easily be devoured by the giant centipede.

An interesting fact about a grasshopper mouse (especially females or mothers) is that, they won't back out from any challenge that involves threat to their offspring. And the most interesting fact is that, the females are the main combatants while the male goes to hide.

Going back into the video, the mother mouse went to confront the giant centipede. Their battle involves lightning-reflexes that when one of them receives a "vital hit", surely the creature that got hit will be the end of it. Fortunately, the grasshopper mouse was able to pin and disable the giant centipede saving its young from the unwary predator.

Snake versus Giant Centipede

Snake do belong into the "reptilian" world of creatures (while centipedes into the world of insects), but do you know that some giant centipede can go over-board by also attacking snakes as their prey?

The majority of individuals claim that there is no way for a snake to fall as prey by any giant centipedes. It's because any snake can easily crush the centipede with their constricting-body (or inject their poisonous venom with their fangs). However, this was not the case from an interesting encounter between a giant centipede and snake in the plantation area in Penang, Malaysia.

Here's the video that went viral around the web which was about a giant centipede feeding on its snake prey:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooFSFR2s7Ig

As shown on the video, you can see that the giant centipede had genuinely grabbed the lower-half portion of the snake's body. The snake seem to panicked probably it doesn't know what to do. Suddenly, the snake rolled and twisted around showing some kind of painful struggle. At this point, the giant centipede had actually embedded its fangs deep into the snake's flesh.

After a few more minutes, the centipede's venom finally took effect where the snake can no longer move.

Giant Centipede versus a Young Viper Snake

In the Island of Macedonia, Golem Grad which is also known as "Snake Island", a group of scientists were surprised on what they had found on their exploration around the island. They had surprising encountered a young dead viper snake with a head and nose of a giant centipede sticking out from its stomach.

The scientists took both of the creatures in an attempt to solve the mystery. To find out the answer, they had dissected the snake's body to take the centipede out.

According to the scientists' speculations, both creatures had a duel and at some point, the viper managed to devour the centipede as a whole but still remained alive. Since the giant centipede was still alive, it chewed and ate the inside tissues of the snake. This was due to the findings of the scientists that the internal organs of the snake got dissolved and what only remains were the snake's stomach-wall. As a result, the snake died while the giant centipede died from suffocation or got poisoned by the snake's deadly venom.

The young snake viper measures exactly 20 centipedes in length while the giant centipede was about 16 centimeters. Thus, their difference in length is only 4 centimeters.

Overall, wild or giant centipedes have proven that they are indeed at the top of the food-chain specifically in the world of small creatures.

Where Do House Centipedes Go During Winter?

If your house or surrounding environment has been infested by centipedes, you might have already experienced noticing them missing during the cold winter season.

Where did they go?

The answer into this question is all about their habitat. You have to know that centipedes can only propagate on places that offers warmth, moist and damp areas. This means that they cannot live on dry places or on extremely cold environments. If they insists of going out hunting for their food during winter, they will eventually won't survive long enough.

Speaking about survival, what do they exactly do during winder in order to survive this type of extreme condition of the weather?

Centipedes Do Hibernate During Winter

Centipedes actually do hibernate throughout the winter season for their survival.

What is hibernation?

For a centipede to go under hibernation, it needs to find a perfect suitable place to stay for the whole winter. In addition to this, it also needs to conserve most of its energy and store sufficient food to eat. Although, centipedes won't actually be eating a lot because of the effect of the cold temperature which slow down the rate of their metabolism. Thus, they won't be eating much food as compared to their normal appetite.

The winter season in the United States actually starts in the month of December until the month of March. That's 4 months of hibernation period for the centipedes staying inside their lair unbothered.

But, how come that there are still house centipedes running around inside your house even during the winter season?

House centipedes are one of the few species that can thrive on habitat that offers them warmth and food. This is the reason why house centipedes can still be observed even during winter but only inside homes or shelters. If you are suffering from a house centipede infestation then you may want to consider reading this topic:

Tips On How to Get Rid of House Centipedes

Once the winter is finally over, expect that centipedes will be all over various places to hunt for their food because they are surely hungry and exhausted.

How about the millipedes?

Some individuals has the wrong notion that centipedes and millipedes are the same type of creature. Well, they are not.

In terms of hibernation, millipedes also do hibernate during the winter season. I have been researching on various communities regarding about this subject where there are many pet owners who were able to closely observed how they hibernate. There was even one pet owner who claimed that he left his "African Millipede" pet outside on a branch of a tree. It was there for the whole period of the winter season.

When winter was finally over, the pet owner of the millipede went to check on it. At first, he thought that his pet was dead because it wasn't moving at all. But after further inspecting the creature, it surprisingly moved giving him a sign of life that it was pretty much alive.

Perhaps, the main difference between a centipede from a millipede when it comes to their hibernation is that, millipedes can simply hibernate at any places whereas centipedes needs to look for the perfect and suitable place to settle down.

Overall, centipedes that lives in the wild goes to hibernation during winter. But for the house centipedes, they won't be going nowhere provided that they have a warm environment and food to eat inside the house or shelter.

Scientific Discovery and Study of Centipedes

The study of centipedes is actually very complex that really challenges most researchers about uncovering information about them. But despite of the complexity involve, discovering and studying various species of centipedes are also quite very fascinating.

For years, the centipede (also referred by some as the "100 legged worm or insect") has frightened but intrigued a lot of people throughout the world. Due to their existence, "Biologist" (scientists that studies centipedes and other various life forms on Earth) has been studying these particular arthropod for decades.

Throughout the years of studying the centipedes, scientists came to discover the most important thing to know about them. Most scientists had actually focused their research on the specie called "Scutigera Coleoptrata" where they were able to learn their biology especially on how their venom works.

The importance of studying centipedes is actually for the benefit of everyone. By understanding them, the general public will be able to know, how or what precautions to take when in contact with a centipede. And also, how to eliminate them and to know the benefits that they do bring to us.

Biology of Centipedes

A centipede's biology is fairly simple where scientists had classified them under the arthropod category. Since the most commonly seen specie of centipedes around are the scutigera coleoptrata, they are the favorite test subjects by most researchers.

Scutigera coleoptrata possess a long and soft body with anywhere between 15 to 100 pairs of legs. They have small claws (also known as "pincers") that they use to either defend themselves or to catch their prey. On top of their tiny heads, they have antennas.

As one of the top predators, wild centipedes are quite good at camouflaging themselves especially when they are in the forests or near the water. To be more specific, they generally love the tropics, parks that feature small rivers or beaches that have rock formations gathered near the ocean.

When Centipede Bite a Human Victim

Centipedes only use their venom in catching their prey but they won't hesitate to use it against human when they feel threatened. The good thing is that, centipede venom is not dangerous to human unless the person is allergic to the bite. However, their venom is deadly to their prey especially those insects that are beneath them in the "Food Chain".

If it happens that you got bitten by a wild centipede (assuming that it's a Scolopendra), it's venom will work on you where you will be suffering an unbearable or excruciating pain that could last for an hour. The bitten area will then leave a red bump that will itch and swell for up to three days or more. And for the good news, there have been no recorded human deaths from centipede bites due to their venom.

On the other hand, if the centipede bit its prey, it will paralyze them to the extent that they are unable to move and defend themselves. This makes their prey an easy target and meal for the centipede.

Their venom is very effective on any insects regardless of their size. They can easily take down ants or even bees!

Study of Centipedes for Preventing Centipede Infestation

Scientists or biologists aren't studying centipedes just for the sole purpose of being fascinated about them. The main objective of their studies is to discover the best and effective method on how to prevent centipede infestation especially around your home. So far, they have found out that home owners should always keep their homes dry and clean (a habitat in which centipedes cannot thrive in).

Without the study of centipedes, people may see them as a threat that needs to be completely terminated. It is very important that you have to know the fact that centipedes do have a major importance in the ecosystem. They are the once responsible for controlling the numbers of other insects especially pests such as ants, termites, bed bugs, cockroaches and etc...

If it happens that centipedes are all wiped out of their existence, this will cause chaos in the ecosystem allowing over population of other tiny insects which the centipedes preys on. Some scientists speculates that spiders may take the place of the centipedes if they are gone.

As a result of the study, centipedes plays a very important role in the ecosystem. Other than their importance, scientists have also discovered hundreds of different species around the world. To tell you, they even keep on discovering new species every year that probably undergone the process of evolution.

Regardless of the ongoing studies about centipedes, scientists have not yet learned everything there is to know about them where some aspects of their lifestyle remains to be a mystery.

What Are House Centipedes?

House centipedes is a centipede specie that are obviously found inhibiting homes or shelters. They are categorized as arthropods and commonly referred as the "Spiderman" of the house. The good thing about them is that, they do eat other insects that they can find around the house such as ants, termites, cockroaches and etc...

The scientific name of a house centipede is "Scutigera Coleoptrata" in which they fall under the Scutigeromorpha group of centipedes. Their common color is yellowish-grey and usually have a total of fifteen legs. They can actually grow a size of up to 25 mm (one inch) to a total of 35 mm ( one and a half inches). However, with their long nimble legs and antennae, they may appear to have a size of up to 85 mm (four inches) long.

The most impressive characteristic of house centipedes is that, they can easily able to crawl all over the walls, floors and even on the ceiling at the rate of an impressive 0.4 meters per second (or 1.3 feet per second).

How House Centipedes Lay their Eggs?

House centipedes only choose to lay their eggs in the spring season. Within months after laying their eggs, between 83 to 151 number of baby centipedes are born. The baby scutigera coleoptrata look-like mini me's of their parents and only few of them have four pairs of legs at birth.

Baby house centipedes can grow additional number of legs once they started molting. Their first molting stage allows them to grow one to two pairs of legs. By their fifth or sixth molting stage, they finally have their complete number of legs.

Scutigera Coleoptrata usually live between one year and up to three years of age.

Do House Centipedes Live in Colonies?

Unlike ants, termites and bees that lives in colonies, house centipedes does not. They prefer to live on their own the reason why researchers refers to them as "Solitary Hunters". In fact, even centipedes in the wild are solitary predators.

In comparison to the ants, they won't be able to survive alone. Researchers actually claim that when their queen dies, the entire colony also follow. As for the centipedes, they don't need a colony because they themselves are the kings and queens. They do not have underlings where each one of them are born with equal capability to survive alone on their own separate ways.

A centipede's capability to survive on its own is due to its excellent hunting skills. They possess the speed, power and venom that can disable their prey in an instant. Although, house centipedes is not as strong as their wild counterpart but they still reign as the supreme predator amongst all bugs inside a house.

Either house or wild centipedes, they don't live in colonies it's not because they don't like one another but due to their characteristics of simply being the top predator. In short, they possess the traits they need in order to survive as individual creatures of their own.

House Centipedes Inside your Home

The main reason why house centipedes are being attracted into your home are the array of bugs that can be found inside. This can be beneficial because they actually prey on any insects and arthropods that they can find around the house. Some of these insects includes ants, bed bugs, spiders, cock roaches and other annoying and creepy creatures that inhibits your home.

Just like other species of centipedes, the scutigera coleoptrata captures their prey by biting them and injecting their powerful venom. This paralyzes their victim allowing the predator to feast on its prey.

House centipedes do not attack humans and generally, they avoid being near you.

Are House Centipedes Harmful to Humans or Pets?

If you are worried about the house centipedes lurking around the corner of your house that they might hurt you or your pet, they are actually not harmful as you may think. But if you really want to get rid of them, the best method is to keep your home always clean and dry to prevent them from staying around your house.

Since house centipedes are not as harmful as the species found in the wild, it is advised that you (or home owners) should safely pick them up and place the creatures in the garden. As opposed to killing the centipedes, you have to know that they pose more benefits than harm.

Despite of their benefits, allowing house centipedes to freely roam around your home can cause serious infestation. This can lead to an unnecessary biting and extermination as a result of their high breeding population.

Moreover, if your home is infested with a number of house centipedes, you have to blame yourself for inviting them in the first place. You might not be aware that you have invited them but by simply leaving your house untidy, you are sending them out a message of invitation for them to come around.

The Life Cycle of Centipedes

The life cycle of centipedes is quite intriguing because their reproduction does not involve mating. What actually happens is that, male centipedes simply deposits their "spermatophore" for the female centipedes to take. So when a female centipede took a spermatophore, she will place them into her web.

At some instances, some male centipedes does a courtship dance which is to encourage the female centipedes to take their sperm. But sometimes, some male centipedes would just simply leave their spermatophore for the female centipedes to find.

Female Centipedes' Care for their Eggs

After a female centipede took in the spermatophore that she needs, she will deposit the eggs into the small holes in the soil that she made. The next step is for her to cover those holes (with eggs) with soil to insure their protection against other predators.

Female centipedes can take care a number of eggs ranging from a minimum of ten to a maximum of fifty eggs. And depending on the embryo, it can take them one to three months period to hatch.

Centipedes are very maternal and paternal. After the female centipede lay her eggs and bury them into the soil, she will frequently check on them to keep them safe from predators or other insects. She will also often lick her eggs to prevent the growth of fungi.

Once the eggs have hatched, the mother centipede will stay to protect her young until they are ready to leave on their own survival.

If it happens that the mother centipede has been interrupted by someone or something in the process of burying her eggs, she will either eat them all or leave them on their own demise. In most cases, they get rotten by fungi.

Centipede Reproduction

Centipedes have a pretty short reproductive life. They are only able to reproduce for a year. Sometimes, they can reproduce up to two years but generally, most centipedes are able to reproduce for up to 12 months period.

(At four months old, centipedes tends to become sexually matured.)

Unlike other common insects, centipedes have a lifespan of five to six years of age making them as one of the longest living species of insect around the world. And, it's also the reason why centipedes makes a good pet.

Moreover, the life cycle of centipedes may change as some scientists has confirmed that they are still undergoing a process of evolution. They are actually discovering newly evolve species of centipedes on a yearly basis.

The Human Centipede | First and Full Sequence

Is it really possible to create a human centipede?

If you want some possible answers then you should watch the movie entitled "The Human Centipede". From the time of this post, there were two films that has already been released in the past. They are the "First Sequence" back in 2009 and the "Full Sequence" in 2011.

Summary Plot of the Two Movies

First Sequence (2009) Movie

There were two American lovely ladies who were traveling for a vacation in Europe namely "Lindsay" and "Jenny".

When they arrived in Germany, they met a friendly waiter who had invited them to a party which was to be held in the nightclub called "Bunker". The two ladies immediately accepted the invitation without bothering to ask for more details about the location of the place.

The two ladies had rented a car and set themselves out for the party. However, they got lost on their way around where they found themselves somewhere in the middle of a forest roadway. Worst, they had a flat tire and they were even lazy enough to replace it.

They simply waited for somebody to come but they turned-down the first person that could help them because he seems like not a trustable person. Unfortunately, no one came around so they had decided to go out and explored the forest.

Lindsay and Jenny were so happy to find a huge house situated in the middle of the forest not knowing that it was owned by a psychopathic mad scientist doctor.

When Lindsay and Jenny came knocking at the door's house, the psychopath named "Joseph Heiter" had warmly welcomed them. The two thought that he was a good guy until the mad scientist drugged them to sleep.

When the two girls regained their consciousness back, they found themselves tied on beds inside a laboratory located at the psychopath's house basement.

After awhile, Dr. Heiter brought another tourist who was a Japanese named "Katsuro".

And when everybody was awake, Dr. Heiter revealed them his plan of creating a human centipede and they were his specimens. The process was that, he will connect them through their mouth and anuses.

Was Dr. Heiter successful on his operation?

You've better watch the movie.

My Personal Opinion about The First Sequence

The first sequel had ended with a lot of mystery especially to what happened to the last lady that survived. Did somebody came into the house and rescued her? Or, did she later died in the room? Anyway, it is better to assume that the fellow authorities of those two investigators came looking for them. Then, there they found the lady and helped her out.

As for my personal opinion about this movie, Dr. Heiter lack some personal background. Who was he? Doesn't he had any family members? Why did he ended up as a psychopathic doctor with the urge of creating a human centipede? Why not spider or some other kind of insects?

Considering that he has a family, they could have helped him with his mental disorder but not unless he murdered them all. But if this was the case, the authorities will probably find out about it.

Full Sequence (2011)

On this second sequel of the movie, it features a guy named "Martin" who lives along with his mother in a Bleak Housing Project. He was just an ordinary guy around working as a night shift security guard from an underground parking complex. However, this guy was a mentally disturbed loner that made him became a psychopath.

His psychopathic behavior started when he finally losses himself after watching the horror film "The Human Centipede - First Sequence". Martin was so greatly inspired by the film in which he attempts the unthinkable of creating his own version of human centipede.

My Personal Opinion about the Full Sequence

I totally agree to the part that some movies can inspire viewers either in a good or bad way. However, Martin was influenced by the film in a very bad way that made him turned into a complete psychopath. He was even worse than Dr. Heiter where he had a total of 12 specimens.

My opinion regarding about this second sequel of the movie is that, it's actually better than the first. It's because Martin displayed a lot more psychopathic behavior where he broke Dr. Heiter's record composing of only three segments of human centipede.

Real Human Centipede

In reality, is it really possible to create a human centipede?

The answer is "Yes", it is possible. Humans can be sewn together connecting them through their mount and anuses just like in the movie. But the real question here is that, "Will they be able to survive long enough?".

Since they are interconnected from the mouth and anuses, the only lucky individual that can survive is the one on the front. Those that are behind has the risk of dying due to the feces and urines that they are forced to eat or consume. You have to know that feces are toxic body wastes that when consumed by humans, it leads into a serious type of illness that can even cause death.

Overall, human centipede is medically possible to be achieve when done the right way. Although, not in a way as what has been portrayed in those two movies. But surely, such kind of human experiment is mentally impossible to handle. It is very disgusting!

Ten Interesting Facts About Centipedes

Centipedes are often feared by many due to their creepy appearance and aggressiveness to anyone. They actually bite injecting their powerful venom that delivers tremendous pain no matter how tough you think you are.

Despite of the fearsome characteristics of the centipedes, scientific discovery had found 10 interesting facts about them and they are the following:

1. Centipede Venom

Centipedes are venomous and predatory creatures which paralyze their prey using their poison found in their venomous fangs located into their "forcipules". Unique to all kinds of centipedes, forcipules are their front leg segments which are surprisingly not made for walking but the most interesting part about it is that, it can be modified into deadly fangs.

When a wild centipede has bitten a certain individual, he or she will suffer an agonizing pain that could last for an hour. The bitten area will be swollen that it may take several days to get healed.

2. Number of Legs

Depending on the species, the number of legs of a centipede ranges from as few as 15 pairs of legs to as much as 171 pairs. Average centipedes actually have 35 pairs of legs that are highly segmented and there are only one pair of walking legs per segment.

Despite of the popular belief and the given name to the centipedes as "hundred legged" creatures, they do not actually have 100 legs. In fact, they always have an odd number of leg pairs.

3. Distinguishing Centipedes

The single pair of legs per segment can be useful in distinguishing centipedes from other similar creatures especially the "millipedes". Many individuals are actually confused between centipedes and millipedes. Thus, the best way to distinguish them apart is by analyzing their leg segments where millipedes have two pairs of legs per segments (while single pair of legs per segments for the centipedes).

4. Centipedes are Predators

Judging from their common habitat, centipedes are often mistaken to have the same diet as the worms. However, all centipedes are predators that catch their food similarly to the method of the snakes. A centipede do it by wrapping their body around their prey until its venom takes effect.

Centipedes commonly hunt insects, mollusks and annelids. While, larger species of centipedes have been found to be able to prey on frogs and small birds. Surprisingly, centipedes are also known to prey on other centipedes when food becomes scarce.

5. Lifespan of Centipedes

Centipedes falls into the insect and arthropod category where they do have various characteristics which vary from the commonality within the group. As for their lifespan, most species of centipedes reaches 2 to 3 years which is relatively a longer period as compared to most arthropods which can live up to weeks on average.

The centipedes' lifecycle is different from most insects because they continue to molt and grow even as adults. But in comparison to other common insects, they stop molting and growing once they reached adulthood.

6. Ability to Regenerate Legs

The most predominate trait which centipedes possess is their ability to regenerate their legs when cut. They can actually sacrifice their legs when attacked by a more fearsome predator.

Due to the reason that centipedes continue to molt even when they reached adulthood, they are able to re-grow their lost legs. However, the regenerated legs are not as strong as the originals. It is also important to note that adult centipedes are not able to re-grow their legs when they finally reached their final stage of development.

7. Centipedes Care for their Offspring

A rare trait of insects is to care for their offspring which is a characteristic trait possessed by the centipedes. Even before their eggs have hatched, the female centipede will wrap her body around the eggs to keep them warm and protected until they hatch.

The location of the eggs is also vital in their protection. Thus, the female centipede (species that dwells on soil and tropical regions) strategically lay their mass eggs underground to keep them away from the predators.

8. Ability to Run at High Speed

As a result of their many or several long legs, centipede are built to run quick at a very surprising speed. But with the exception of the soil centipedes, which are naturally slow-moving specie. Although, the rest of the other species of centipedes can easily and quickly maneuver around obstacles allowing them to avoid predators and catch their prey with ease. The surface of the centipede's body segments also prevents them from swaying enabling balance during fast motion.

9. Centipedes with Few Legs

The majority of centipede species hatch with their full set of legs but there are some species that are born with fewer legs than their parents. Anyway, they grow new legs with each successive cycle of their molting stage.

Stone centipedes and house centipedes are amongst the species that hatch with a few number of legs. They usually have about 14 legs which adds up as they continue to develop leg pairs until they reached their adulthood.

10. Waxy Coat

Most arthropods have a waxy coat on their cuticle to help prevent them from "Water Loss". You have to know that centipedes lack the protection against dry environments and are prone to dehydration. Generally, the absence of the waxy coat is not a threat as most centipedes live in moist environments such as damp wood. But, there are some species of centipedes that prefers to inhabit on dry environments. Surprisingly, they have the capability to make the necessary adjustments or modification of their lifestyle to prevent them from suffering dehydration. They do it by conserving their energy until rain occurs.

Above all the interesting facts that are mentioned above, centipedes are the top predator in the world of the insect. They actually dominate all other insects that are small or larger than them. In short, they are the kings or queens of the insect-world. But, did you know that they play an important role in the ecosystem?

Centipedes controls the balance in the ecosystem without them an uncontrollable population of other insects will suddenly emerge.