Giant centipedes are nocturnal predators found in temperate zones. This article will discuss what is known about their habits and habitat.
Giant centipedes, also known as Scolopendra gigantea, inhabit the warm and moist areas of the world. These centipedes are found mainly in the South American Amazon and parts of the Caribbean, namely Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica. These predatory carnivores can grow to a length of thirty-five centimeters and are known for their climbing ability and speed.
Anatomy
Contrary to belief, these centipedes have usually only forty jointed legs that are tinted yellow. Their maroon body is segmented, each having a pair of legs, with its dorsal aspect usually flat. The head contains a mouth, antennae and pincers. These pincers or mandibular claws, called maxillipedes, are used for defense as well as capturing prey. When captured, these pincers inject venom paralyzing the victim. The poison injected is toxic to humans, but fortunately not sufficient to usually cause death. The bite of the giant centipede can, however cause chills, fever, nausea and severe pain.
Prey
Giant centipedes usually eat smaller bugs and the remains of other animals. They are mainly nocturnal and as mentioned can be swift when descending on prey. By using stealth, they have been known to hunt down and being able to disable and consume mice, frogs, lizards and birds. One interesting tactic that has been observed is their ability to catch bats in caves, while they fly by. The centipede does this by entering the caves, sliding on the ground, then crawling up the wall of the cave. It grips the stony ceiling with its two hind legs, dangling the rest of its body beneath it. It waves back and forth to enable it to encounter a bat flying by. When finding one, it grabs it from midair and paralyses it with a bite. Within seconds the bat is disabled and the centipede can consume it within a very short period of time. When done, it climbs down and slithers out of the cave.
Mating
The male Giant Centipede usually deposits their sperm in a web, known as a spermatohore. The females will take the sperm up and deposit their eggs; usually fifteen to sixty at a time, into holes within the soil, sealing it back up with dirt to mature. The female giant centipede does exhibit some parental care by guarding and licking the eggs to prevent fungal infections. This centipede will sometimes continue to guard the young, until they're ready to leave the nest. When the young hatch, they go through various molts as they grow, increasing the number of legs they get each time. It usually takes a centipede three years to mature and they can live as long as six years.
Giant Centipedes are nocturnal creatures that exhibit stealth, speed and voracity. Although their poison is dangerous to humans and can inflict a painful bite; it usually isn’t sufficient to cause death. Although aggressive, most giant centipedes are relatively shy and will back away if given the chance. Increasingly popular with hobbyists, these animals should only be the pets for those experienced with them.
References
Cloudsley-Thompson, J.L. (1968). Spiders, Scorpions, Centipedes and Mites, Pergamon Press; Oxford
