Centipede Facts

Centipede 'hundred legs' is the common name for any member of the arthropod class Chilopoda, comprising species with long, flattened bodies with many segments, and with one pair of jointed appendages on each segment except the last two. The appendages on the first segment take on the form of jaw-like, venomous claws with poison glands that are used in capturing prey. Centipedes are covered by a hard exoskeleton, made out of protein and a tough polysaccharide called chitin. Centipedes play key roles in food webs. moreover, the house centipede, which may be seen as a household pest to be exterminated, actually is one of the most beneficial creatures to inhabit human dwellings, consuming actual household pests like bedbugs, termites, cockroaches, and so on.

The largest centipede, Scolopendra gigas , also eats mice and some small lizards. Scolopendra gigas grows to be about 10 inches. House centipedes feed on spiders, bedbugs, termites, cockroaches, silverfish, and other household pests. They kill their prey by injecting venom through their fangs. The house centipede is capable of biting a human, but this seldom occurs. Scientists who study centipedes are called myriapodologists.