Experts will make you understand that centipedes aren’t insects. They’d tell you that centipedes are myriapods and distant cousins to insects.
Centipedes are characterized by their elongated body and numerous tiny legs. These are features that distinguish them from insects.
Centipedes are naturally insectivores, and they hunt and eat bugs by paralyzing them using their venomous sting.
Even though centipede means “a hundred feet,” there aren’t any species of centipedes with exactly 100 feet.
Scientists have identified about 3,100 species of centipedes worldwide- even above the Arctic Circle.
Classification
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Arthropoda
- Class: Chilopoda
- Order: Scolopendromorpha
- Family: Crptyopidae
- Genus: Theatops
- Species: Californiensis
Information
- Scientific Name: Theatops californiensis
- Category: Centipede
- Size (Adult; Length): 10mm-65mm (0.39in-2.54in)
- Colors: Red, brown, orange and tan
- Descriptors: legs, pincers
What Are Centipedes Attracted to?
Centipedes are drawn to places that offer them three vital things and they are;
Food
Centipedes search for food to survive, and they are amazing hunters. You would find centipedes in environments where prey are abundant, and that could include human homes.
Shelter
When centipedes are not out looking for bugs to eat, they are looking for corners to rest. In the wild, centipedes look for corners under rocks, leaf litter, or inside rotting logs. They can be found in walls, floor drains, attics, or under cardboard boxes.
Moisture
Centipedes prefer a high-humidity environment to survive. They could dehydrate if their area gets too dry, and that could kill them. Places like basements that easily get moist can be the perfect spot for some centipedes.
What Do Centipedes Feed on?
Centipedes are generally insectivores, which means they eat small insects, mites, spiders, and other arthropods. They are also nocturnal and hunt mostly at night.
One advantage that centipedes have and use in hunting is their speed. They easily respond to the movement of prey. As centipedes capture their prey, they use their venom to incapacitate their kill before eating them.
Are Centipedes Harmful to Pets or People?
Generally, people and pets should have nothing to worry about from centipedes they see. Many cats and dogs will eat the centipedes they catch. Despite this, it’s important to know that most centipedes use their venom on their prey.
Centipedes administer their poison through a pair of forcipules positioned near their heads. This weapon of pincer-like limbs can be used when threatened, especially when stepped on or picked up. But despite their venomous nature, most of them don’t have the strength to pierce through human skin.
The Florida blue centipedes, however, are very aggressive against people who bother them. People who have handled this centipede claim they can deliver a sting similar to bee stings. Only 3 inches in length, the Florida blue centipedes are mostly found in southeastern parts of the United States.
How Can You Differentiate a Centipede From a Millipede?
Centipedes are lengthened arthropods with numerous body segments that usually move very fast. Even though centipedes share the same Myriapoda branch of the “tree of life” as millipedes, they are structurally different.
Generally, centipedes possess a pair of legs per body segment, while millipedes have two. Furthermore, millipedes have rounded, blunted heads that bend downward, while centipedes are structured like predators with visible eyes and mouthparts that face forward.
Another major dissimilarity is that centipedes have forcipules. This is a set of poison-injecting pincers. Millipedes, however, do not eat living creatures, so they do not require pincers.
Centipede Life Cycle
After mating, a female centipede lays between 10 to 60 eggs. Centipedes’ eggs evolve for a few months before they hatch.
Young centipedes crawl around with fewer leg pairs than adults. Each molting adds more leg pairs and body segments until fully grown.
Unlike most arthropods, centipedes can live very long. Some species of centipedes can live to reach the age of 7. Most arthropods typically have a lifespan of a year or even less.
What do you know about centipedes? Do you think there is more about centipedes you’d like to share with us? Kindly leave your opinion in the comments below.