Centipedes and centipedes: many legs, but what's the difference?

Home keeping of scolopendra

Terrariums are used for breeding centipedes in captivity.
This is a very mobile insect and at the same time aggressive. They live in captivity for up to seven years. If you have no experience in breeding centipedes, then it is best to study the literature and research all the safety precautions for their maintenance and breeding. Scolopendra has a flexible pleural zone. Thanks to this fact, it can squeeze into the smallest cracks of any rocks and soil in order to hide securely. This centipede is the greatest escape specialist.

When choosing a terrarium, pay attention to the length, width and height. Read the breeding guides; they contain the most complete information about such necessary things as buying a terrarium for centipedes. The soil must be moist and suitable for digging holes

There should be enough humidity, but it shouldn't be too wet

The soil must be moist and suitable for digging holes. There should be enough humidity, but it shouldn't be too wet.

Basically, for all types of centipedes, a temperature of 27 degrees is suitable. If you are getting a special species, consult with a specialist regarding temperature and housing conditions.

At home, it is advisable to feed scolopendra with grasshoppers or mealworms; overfeeding is not recommended. Usually they are fed 1-2 times a week. Scolopendra up to 15 cm in size will be satisfied with 5 crickets. Lack of appetite may mean that the insect is not hungry or is preparing for another molt.

Difference in Behavior

Behavior is one of the easiest ways to determine whether a multi-legged critter found under a log or pile of leaf litter is a centipede or centipede. If it runs away immediately, it will be a centipede. If it curls up and remains motionless, it is a centipede.

This behavior hints at the common lifestyle of centipedes and millipedes. Most centipedes are fast predators that typically eat smaller arthropods. Millipedes feed on decaying plant matter. Instead of running away from predators, centipedes release irritating or poisonous chemicals to repel creatures that want to eat them.

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How many legs do centipedes have: let's count together

Both a tongue twister and an entertaining question for children. How many legs do centipedes have? Any child will answer - forty. But no, not forty at all. How is it possible, I was always forty, it started from childhood.

Let's talk about what centipedes are. What are they like? And we will answer the main question, seemingly known to all of us from a young age.

Centipede is...

A multi-legged insect whose body is quite long. There are several types of these creatures. Some of them grow up to 30 cm in length, while others live their entire short lives at a size of several centimeters.

There are significant differences between centipedes not only in size. This is appearance, lifestyle and, of course, the number of legs.

The body structure is as follows: the smallest representatives of the species have about 10 body segments. The fact is that the insect’s body is divided into segments.

And in those centipedes whose “height” is 30 cm, the number of these same segments sometimes reaches 173. Each of them has one pair of legs, which are located on the sides of the body. The legs are quite short.

How many legs do the smallest and largest centipedes have? This is not difficult to calculate if you know the number of segments of the insect's body.

Interesting Facts

It would seem that what is interesting about an insect that cannot figure out the number of its own legs? However, there are facts in the life of centipedes that cannot be ignored:

These creatures are partial to high humidity. They can easily live in those houses and apartments where the insects like the humidity.
How many pairs of legs do centipedes have? This question is difficult to answer, because they have an odd number of legs.
The scientific name of the insect is scolopendra.
Scolopendra is quite a thing. She can be quite dangerous. What is the danger of such a baby? The fact is that it is poisonous.
They inject poison into their prey.
Are centipedes dangerous for adults? Oddly enough, yes. Meetings with some of the centipede representatives can be fatal for humans.
Particularly dangerous are centipedes—“new settlers”—who choose people as neighbors and decide to move into their apartments for permanent residence.
Only one individual with an even number of legs has been found in nature.
Despite their formidable qualities, centipedes are excellent house cleaners from cockroaches and other nasty insects.
That same centipede, reaching a length of 30 cm, is also called the giant Amazonian centipede. Found in South America. This young lady is very nervous and can jump high when scared. And it feeds on insects, lizards, mice and birds. Not the most inspiring diet. If such an individual bites a person, the latter is not in danger of death. But the poisoning will be obvious.
How many legs do centipedes have? A little more and the secret will be revealed.

The most important question

How many pairs of legs do centipedes have? The answer to this question will be known in a few seconds.

So, attention. Centipedes have between 15 and 346 legs.

Here's how. And not forty at all, as it turned out.

How many pairs of legs do 40 centipedes have? Even if we take as a basis the minimum, that is, 15 legs, simple arithmetic will help us. We multiply 15 by 40 and get 600. An impressive figure, however.

Conclusion

We found out how many legs centipedes have. And there were not forty of them at all. And from 15 to 346, depending on the size of the centipede.

How many legs does a centipede have?

Centipedes do not use their first set of legs for walking. Instead, these legs are modified to form venomous fangs, which they use to inflict paralyzing venom on their prey.

Although their common name means "forty legs", centipedes can have significantly more or less than 40 legs. Regardless of species, centipedes always have an odd number of pairs of legs, so they will never have exactly 40 legs (because 40 pairs is an even number).

Lesser centipedes prey on other invertebrates, including insects, mollusks, annelids, and even other centipedes. Large tropical species may consume frogs and small birds. The centipede usually wraps itself around its prey and waits for the poison to take effect before consuming the food.
Centipedes often live up to 2-3 years, and some species live for more than 5 years.
If a centipede becomes captured by a bird or other predator, it can often escape by sacrificing several legs. If you find a centipede with several legs that are shorter than the others, it is likely in the process of recovering from a predator attack.
The body of the centipede is suspended between the cradle of long legs. When these legs begin to move, it gives the centipede greater maneuverability over and around obstacles as it flees from predators or pursues prey.

Although many centipedes hatch from their eggs with a full set of pairs of legs, some centipede species begin life with fewer legs than their parents. Rock centipedes (Lithobiomorpha) and house centipedes (Scutigeromorpha) begin their lives with only 14 legs.

Where do centipedes live

Most centipedes live in moist environments, such as under leaf litter or in damp, rotting wood.

Those that live in deserts or other arid environments often change their behavior to minimize the risk of dehydration.

They may delay activity until seasonal rains arrive or humidity rises and diapause during the hottest periods is temporarily suspended.

Source: https://VashUrok.ru/questions/skolko-nog-u-sorokonozhki-dbdd0e63-61e1-4d56-80e7-b4059fea8183

Number of legs in insects

Characteristic features:

relatively small sizes;
two pairs of wings (some are missing);
three pairs of legs.

To date, 900,000 species of insects have been described, but there are many more of them - several million, some of them in a single copy. A number of shapes represent beautiful creations, such as butterflies.

So how many legs do insects have? One of the distinguishing characteristics of this class is the presence of three pairs of paws. They are all located in the thoracic region, with one pair on each of the three component segments.

Ancient insects also had legs on their abdomen, which is still reminiscent of the presence of rudimentary appendages in some modern species.

Under the influence of a certain lifestyle during the process of evolution, these creatures developed several types of paws. The most common of them are running and walking. Primitive insects have just such three pairs of legs. For some representatives of the superclass, changes in external conditions and subsequently in the manner of movement entailed modification of the limbs. The middle pair of legs did not undergo specialization during evolution. It is needed for walking.

How many legs does a centipede have?

There are many types of forty legs and the legs of these species are not the same, from 10 to 173 x depends on the species.
U centipedes there are a lot of legs, although it happens that there are few, much less than forty, therefore the scientific name of this superclass, which unites four classes of terrestrial arthropods, is centipedes.
Currently, more than 12 thousand species of this superclass are known. Of course, the number of legs they have is different, from 10 to 750.
Centipedes do not have exactly 40 legs. More accurately, it happens, but this is only a small part of all types. And the number of legs can be different and vary widely. It seems, I don’t remember exactly, from 14 to more than 300. But I can’t tell you the exact numbers, and I’m too lazy to look into it.
Source: https://info-4all.ru/zhivotnie-i-rasteniya/skolko-nog-u-sorokonozhki/

How many legs does a centipede or centipede actually have?

An insect has many legs, but no one can say exactly how many there are. The number of limbs depends on many factors that play an important role in the life of these creatures.

How many legs does a centipede have?

Centipedes belong to a class group called invertebrates. They have an elongated body, which consists of many segments and limbs.

Previously, they were considered the closest relatives of insects, uniting them with the last representatives in a group called taxon.

However, over time, the opinions of experts were divided:

some classify them as representatives of crustaceans;
others speculate that they are similar to chelicerates;
Still others believe that millipedes are a paraphyletic group in relation to insects, which means that apart from ancient family ties they have nothing in common.

But still, people continue to worry about the question of how many legs centipedes have, because no one can answer it accurately. Just look at the creatures and understand that they have many limbs. Depending on the type, their number can range from several tens to several hundred.

There are 12,000 varieties in nature. The number of legs depends on several factors:

invertebrate species;
body parameters;
gender accessories;
habitats.

In fact, the number of legs of centipedes is not 40, it can be from 10 to 173. The record holder for the number of limbs is the black African nodule - it is endowed with 400 legs.

In 2005, scientists identified a representative of the creatures, which for many years was considered an extinct species. They counted 750 legs. The length of the body was 33 cm.

The number of legs depends on the parameters and length of the body. For example, giants, which can have a body length of 35 cm, have over 100 legs.

Within one species there are creatures with different body sizes and the number of legs. Females have 2-3 times more of them compared to males

It is worth paying attention to the fact that as insects grow older, the number of legs in insects increases. They can be almost invisible or arachnid-like

It happens that creatures’ limbs are too long; this is usually observed in representatives that live not only on land, but also in water.

Functions of the legs

Why do centipedes need so many limbs? This question arises immediately upon seeing the creature. They make him scary, they give him a disgusting appearance.

But nevertheless, nature thought of everything and endowed this insect with this feature of body structure for a reason.

The legs of centipedes perform the following functions:

they serve to move. The more limbs, the faster the insect moves;
with the help of them they can cling to plants and trees;
for catching and searching for food;
short legs are able to make passages in the ground through which the creature moves and looks for food;
the tips of the limbs have claws for moving along steep surfaces;
Some representatives have long legs, with the help of which they swim in rivers and reservoirs.

Centipedes are extraordinary creatures that frighten many people. Of course, there is little pleasant in an insect that has a long body and many limbs.

But in fact, this organism is safe, it does not harm people and does not interfere with life. On the contrary, it is beneficial; it gets rid of pests. For this reason, if you see this representative, do not rush to kill him right away.

So how many legs does a centipede actually have, is there really 40 or 42? There's an answer!

Different types of centipedes also have different numbers of limbs. On average, they have from 15 to 20 pairs of legs along their body, although there are centipedes with 60 or even 80 legs.

Under the influence of the evolutionary process, the first pair of limbs of the centipede was transformed into special jaws, which are adapted to hold their prey. Almost all centipedes go hunting at night. Having caught the victim, the centipede injects poison into its body and thereby causes terrible and acute pain (just like from a wasp sting). The basis of their diet consists of small insects - slugs, snails, worms and others.

Centipedes belong to a class group called invertebrates. They have an elongated body, which consists of many segments and limbs. Previously, they were considered the closest relatives of insects, uniting them with the last representatives in a group called taxon.

However, over time, the opinions of experts were divided:

some classify them as representatives of crustaceans;
others speculate that they are similar to chelicerates;
Still others believe that millipedes are a paraphyletic group in relation to insects, which means that apart from ancient family ties they have nothing in common.

But still, people continue to worry about the question of how many legs centipedes have, because no one can answer it accurately. Just look at the creatures and understand that they have many limbs.

Depending on the type, their number can range from several tens to several hundred.

There are 12,000 varieties in nature. The number of legs depends on several factors:

invertebrate species;
body parameters;
gender accessories;
habitats.

In fact, the number of legs of centipedes is not 40, it can be from 10 to 173. The record holder for the number of limbs is the black African nodule - it is endowed with 400 legs. In 2005, scientists identified a representative of the creatures, which for many years was considered an extinct species. They counted 750 legs. The length of the body was 33 cm.

The number of legs depends on the parameters and length of the body. For example, giants, which can have a body length of 35 cm, have over 100 legs. Within one species there are creatures with different body sizes and the number of legs. Females have 2-3 times more of them compared to males. It is worth paying attention to the fact that as insects grow older, the number of legs in insects increases. They can be almost invisible or arachnid-like.

It happens that creatures’ limbs are too long; this is usually observed in representatives that live not only on land, but also in water.

How many legs does the Common Flycatcher have? Watch the entomologist's story on video

Appearance and body structure

The body consists of many parts, each of which has its own meaning:

a head with bristle-like antennae located on it, eyes and mouthparts, which are the upper and lower jaws;
the first pair of limbs is often presented in the form of additional jaws with the presence of poisonous glands for processing food;
the next few segments, most often there are three of them, form the chest of the centipede, on each of them there are up to two pairs of legs;
the main body of an invertebrate may consist of a large number of parts and a corresponding number of legs;
The tail part, on which several pairs of paws are also located, completes the terrifying appearance.

The limbs can be located almost on the sides or on the lower part of the abdomen. Each leg consists of several segments, usually only 6 or 7. At the tip of each paw there is a pointed claw, with the help of which this representative of invertebrates is able to move along any steep surfaces with tremendous speed.

Interesting!

Some arthropods are able to cover a distance of 40 cm in 1-2 seconds.

The length of centipedes varies widely: from 2 mm to 40 centimeters. In regions with a warm climate, for example, in the Crimea, you can find quite large individuals, for example, Crimean hawks, whose body size reaches 4 cm. In areas with a cool climate, small representatives of the superclass are found.

The body of centipedes is segmented. The head consists of 4 or 5 segments. The body is not divided into sections and also consists of homogeneous segments.

The color of centipedes can be black, reddish, or ocher. The younger the individual, the lighter the shade it has.

How many legs do centipedes have?

Many people get scared when they see centipedes. Some of them are dangerous, and some are completely harmless creatures. Today we will tell you interesting facts about the life of centipedes

Millipedes (lat. Myriapoda) are a superclass of invertebrate animals, uniting four classes of terrestrial arthropods (symphylos, labiopods, biparopods and pauropods, the latter are usually combined into one group).

Arthropleura is the ancestor of centipedes. Reached a length of more than 2.5 meters. These are the largest invertebrate animals ever found.

They lived throughout North America and Scotland about 300 million years ago.

Harmless centipedes. Symphyla (lat. Symphyla) is a class of small arthropods, up to 8 mm long, from the superclass of centipedes.

Linotaeniidae (lat.) - family of labiopods. About 7 genera and 50 species

Ballophilidae (lat.) - a family of labiopods from the order Geophila.

Kivsyaki (lat. Julida) is a detachment of two-legged centipedes. A widespread group of terrestrial invertebrates that live on the forest floor, including in temperate latitudes.

Blue forest centipede

Drupe. Although it has poisonous mites, they are too weak to bite through human skin

Flycatcher (Scutigera coleoptrata).
This beast will destroy all your flies, cockroaches and woodlice if it suddenly appears.
A very useful “animal”, very fast and completely harmless. Poisonous centipedes. Scolopendra (lat. Scolopendra) is a genus of labiopods from the order Scolopendra (Scolopendromorpha)

Giant centipedes live in South America and Jamaica. There are known cases of giant scolopendra attacking birds, lizards, mice and toads.

Centipede venom contains acetylcholine, serotonin, lecithin, histamine, thermolysins, and hyaluronidase.

In humans, their bites cause local swelling and pain, usually lasting 1-2 hours.

Scientists have counted 8,000 species of different scolopendras living in different parts of the planet.

If the scolopendra is large, these phenomena may last for several days, possibly increased temperature, fever, and weakness.

In some cases, a scolopendra bite is fatal to humans. By the way, females are more poisonous than males.

Depending on the species, these arthropods can have from 15 to 171 body segments and the same number of pairs of legs

Interestingly, centipedes always have an odd number of pairs of legs, so the word centipede cannot be used in it.

True, in 1999, the only specimen so far known to science was discovered, which was found to have an even number of pairs of legs - 48. The maximum number of legs today in centipedes is just over 350.

Some species of centipedes have a maternal instinct - the laid eggs are protected by the female until the offspring hatch.

Centipedes have the ability to regenerate legs, i.e. restore a lost limb

Scolopendras are long-lived - they live 2-3 years and grow throughout their lives.

Some species of centipedes reproduce by parthenogenesis, i.e. without the participation of a male

Pink dragon centipede Desmoxytes purpurosea

This centipede is quite poisonous. She is capable of shooting spikes filled with cyanide at the offender.

In South America, capuchin monkeys rub themselves with poisonous centipedes to protect themselves from mosquitoes.

Source

How many legs does a centipede have?

Which animal has the most legs? In centipedes! For such an answer you can easily get the rank not even of Captain, but of General Obviousness.

If someone is not able to immediately imagine what centipedes are, let them remember centipedes or flycatchers, more familiar to our latitudes - useful creatures, the appearance of which, unfortunately, usually causes panic among nervous ordinary people. One look at centipedes is enough to appreciate their “legs”.

But another question - exactly how many legs centipedes have - is not so easy to answer. Zoologists carry out such calculations, and, according to scientific data, the number of legs can reach several hundred, but not more than a thousand: this level is unattainable for centipedes. Some species, however, come very close to this figure. For example, the Puerto Rican Siphonophora millepeda has 742 legs.

In 2005, zoologist Paul Marek from the University of Arizona (USA) discovered the centipede Illacme plenipes, which was considered extinct (the last data on it was in 1928).

The “resurrection” of the centipede would have gone unnoticed if not for the 750 legs of this species, breaking the Puerto Rican record. Moreover, all these legs fit on a body some 3.2 cm long. It is worth clarifying, however: only females I have a monstrous number of legs.

plenipes; males have almost half as many limbs, with an average of 300 to 400.

Centipede I. plenipes (photo by Paul Marek / University of Arizona).

The centipede I. plenipes lives on a small piece of land of 4.5 km² on the outskirts of Silicon Valley (California, USA), in an area occupied by wet oak forests. The arthropod spends most of its time underground - not too deep, however. Over the course of several years since the rediscovery of I.

plenipes, researchers looked for new individuals and continued to study the anatomy and ecology of the centipede. The results of their work were published as an article in ZooKeys. The huge number of legs, researchers believe, helps the animal dig underground passages. With an underground burrowing lifestyle I.

Zoologists say that the centipede needs countless protrusions for protection: at the ends of these projections there are pores that secrete certain chemicals to repel predators. Perhaps too many legs just help animals overcome the resistance of all these outgrowths and protrusions that make movement difficult.

Fragment of the body of the centipede I. plenipes under an electron microscope.

The back of I. plenipes is covered with many bristles that secrete a substance similar to sticky silk threads. Scientists find it difficult to say why centipedes need this.

One explanation is that with the help of this sticky silk the arthropod protects itself from debris, which can be easily cleaned off in such a sticky wrapper.

I. plenipes feed on the juices of plants and fungi, and their mouth is modified accordingly: they cannot grab and tear food, they only prick and suck. At the same time, they have an intestine of exceptional length, which forms a spiral inside the body.

A long intestine allows for more complete absorption of water and nutrients. And, as scientists believe, it could be an indirect reason for the increase in the number of legs.

That is, additional legs are only a by-product, a secondary result of embryological processes, the main goal of which is to lengthen the intestines.

Researchers hope that they will be able to find these super-legged creatures somewhere else: it would be a pity if their range was equal to the area of several football fields. According to scientists, they have discovered several more areas in California that are very similar to the oak forests where the centipede lives.

For further research, zoologists need material, so they need to make sure that scientific efforts will not harm the animals, that there are enough of them to withstand the research onslaught.

However, whatever else scientists discover about this centipede, it is unlikely to be as amazing as its 750 legs.

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How many legs does a centipede have?

Centipedes are multi-legged insects with rather flattened and elongated bodies. Centipedes vary in size. The smallest of them grow to only a few millimeters, while the largest can reach 30 cm or more. Despite the fact that centipedes are very similar in appearance to millipedes (see photo),

they have significant differences in lifestyle and body structure. the fundamental difference is the number of legs.

So how many legs does a centipede have? Are there really forty of them?

Different types of centipedes also have different numbers of limbs. On average, they have from 15 to 20 pairs of legs along their body. although there are centipedes with 60 or even 80 legs.

So where did the name “centipede” come from? The fact is that in the old days “forty” did not mean a specific number, but an indefinite, large amount of something.

And since the centipede has many legs, this is how the name of the insect arose.

Under the influence of the evolutionary process, the first pair of limbs of the centipede was transformed into special jaws, which are adapted to hold their prey.

Almost all centipedes go hunting at night. Having caught the victim, the centipede injects poison into its body and thereby causes terrible and acute pain (just like from a wasp sting).

The basis of their diet is small insects - slugs, snails, worms and others.

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Limb types

Limb classification:

Runners. They have an elongated shape and are slender. Consist of narrow or wide legs, lower leg, thigh and coxa. Examples of such legs are the legs of ground beetles and cockroaches;
Walking legs. Designed for slow movement. Leaf beetles, longhorn beetles, and beetles that slowly crawl from leaf to leaf have such paws;
Representatives of the order Orthoptera (grasshopper, locust, cricket) have jumping limbs. Their last pair of legs is powerful and long. Many orthopterans jump eighty centimeters high; if they straighten their wings, they can cover up to 10 meters in one jump;
The swimming legs (usually the hind legs, less often the middle ones) are covered with long hairs that form a wide rowing surface of a kind - an oar. Representatives with such limbs mainly live in bodies of water. They swim and dive well. These are, for example: swimming beetles, water lovers, smooth bugs;
Digging - most often the first pair of legs. These limbs are powerful, short and flat.
Collective limbs or basket limbs. Bees and bumblebees have it. The hind legs have special areas surrounded by chitinous, long hairs - baskets. Moving from flower to flower, the bees get dirty with pollen that sticks to the hairs. Using special brushes on its legs, the insect collects pollen in a basket, takes it to the hive and deposits it in the honeycomb.
Suction limbs. In the males of some species (ground beetles, diving beetles), the legs at the ends of the tarsi have expanded segments. During reproduction, males use this device to clasp females when mating.
Grasping paws armed with sharp spines. They are used by the predator (mantis) to hold its prey.

Habitat

Centipedes and centipedes are found on every continent except Antarctica. They live exclusively on land, although at least one species of giant centipede can swim.

Centipedes are found in all types of terrestrial habitats, even in caves deep underground, but they are especially common in extremely dry conditions. Deserts are home to some of the largest centipedes.

Millipedes, in turn, prefer moist soil and leaf litter in forests, although some species are found in grasslands or deserts. Unlike their relatives, centipedes lack a waxy layer on their exoskeleton to help retain water.

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How many legs does a centipede have?

The second name of these insects is centipedes, but it is interesting that among the more than 10,000 species known to science, there is not a single representative with the number of legs equal to 40. How many are there really?

Centipedes are a special class of invertebrate animals that are distinguished by an elongated body with many segments and even more limbs. Previously, millipedes were considered as the closest relatives of insects and were combined with the latter into a taxon.

Currently, the opinions of scientists are divided.

Some believe that centipedes should be closer in taxonomy to crustaceans, others compare them with chelicerates, and still others are of the opinion that millipedes are a paraphyletic group in relation to insects, that is, other than ancient kinship they have little in common.

A wooden floor with cracks in a room attracts insects, opening up a lot of opportunities for home improvement and reproduction. A simple coating of mastic or varnish will help solve the problem - insects cannot stand the smell of chemicals.

If arthropods in the house feel more than at ease despite all preventive measures, continue to reproduce and are increasingly seen even during the day, it is worth trying to use repellents or insecticidal sprays for crawling creatures

It doesn’t matter whether the flytrap is an insect or not, drugs of this kind most often have a wide spectrum of action

In conclusion, we note that killing living beings, even if they are not the most pleasant in appearance, is inhumane. Therefore, in order to prevent an uncomfortable neighborhood at home, you need to try to create conditions unfavorable for insects. Scolopendra, also known as the flytrap, is of little danger to humans; its appearance in an apartment is the result of a violation of sanitary standards, which means that responsibility for solving the problem also lies solely with the owners of the apartment.

Why do centipedes need so many limbs? This question arises immediately upon seeing the creature. They make him scary, they give him a disgusting appearance.

The legs of centipedes perform the following functions:

they serve to move. The more limbs, the faster the insect moves;
with the help of them they can cling to plants and trees;
for catching and searching for food;
short legs are able to make passages in the ground through which the creature moves and looks for food;
the tips of the limbs have claws for moving along steep surfaces;
Some representatives have long legs, with the help of which they swim in rivers and reservoirs.

Functions of legs in centipedes

Why do centipedes need so many limbs? This question arises immediately upon seeing the creature. They make him scary, they give him a disgusting appearance. But nevertheless, nature thought of everything and endowed this insect with this feature of body structure for a reason.

The legs of centipedes perform the following functions:

they serve to move. The more limbs, the faster the insect moves;
with the help of them they can cling to plants and trees;
for catching and searching for food;
short legs are able to make passages in the ground through which the creature moves and looks for food;
the tips of the limbs have claws for moving along steep surfaces;
Some representatives have long legs, with the help of which they swim in rivers and reservoirs.

Centipedes are extraordinary creatures that frighten many people. Of course, there is little pleasant in an insect that has a long body and many limbs.

Varieties of centipedes and their habitat

There are a lot of varieties of centipedes, almost all of them are similar in body structure and a large number of legs. Let's look at the most famous species of centipedes and their habitat.

Scolopendra scutigera is a centipede from the order Scutigeromorpha of the labiopod class. The adult is 35 to 60 mm long, yellow-gray in color with long striped legs.

Feeds on small insects. Lives in Southern Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. They are also found in the territory of Ukraine, the Caucasus, Moldova, Kazakhstan, and southern Russia.

The natural habitat of the common flycatcher is dry fallen leaves. With the onset of cold weather, it begins to seek shelter, so it may end up in an apartment, especially in damp rooms - a bathroom, toilet, basement.

Scolopendra scutigera - the common flycatcher eats a fly on a person's hand

It is practically safe for humans, as it cannot bite through the skin of humans and pets. The maximum harm that scolopendra scutigera can cause to a person is redness and swelling of the skin; its bite is comparable to the sting of one wasp.

The giant scolopendra lives most often in the west and north of South America, on the islands of Trinidad and Jamaica. They feed on insects in the same way as other species of centipedes, but there are known cases of giant centipedes attacking lizards, toads, mice and even birds.

The strongly built body consists of 21-23 segments of brown or red color with a pair of bright yellow legs. Poisonous jaws can cause harm to a person in the form of swelling, redness and severe pain, and occasionally fever, weakness and fever. For an adult, the venom of the giant scolopendra is not fatal. The poison consists of the following substances: contains acetylcholine, serotonin, histamine, lecithin, thermolysins, hyaluronidases.

The ringed scolopendra is the most common species of centipede in Southern Europe and the countries of the Mediterranean basin, including Italy, Spain, France, Turkey, Greece, and Crimea. He also lives in Northern Africa: Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Morocco.

It is inferior in size to the giant centipede, reaching an average of 10-15 cm. The venom of the ringed centipede is also not as toxic as that of its “big brother”. A very fast and agile predator, it hunts almost all living creatures that are smaller in size - insects, lizards.

In Chinese medicine, this type of scolopendra is used to speed up the healing of skin diseases and injuries.

The California scolopendra lives in arid areas of the United States and Mexico, although other scolopendra species prefer wetter habitats.

A bite from a California scolopendra or touching its legs when disturbed can cause minor harm to a person in the form of inflammation. There have even been cases of rhabdomyolysis and acute renal failure after being bitten by this centipede.

Scolopendra Lucas

Lucas's centipede, like the ringed one, lives in the southern part of Europe. Distinctive features are the heart-shaped head and rusty color. The harm from contact with it is identical to most other centipedes.

Everything you need to know about centipedes

The centipede (centipede) is not the most harmful creature that lives near humans, but it is certainly one of the ugliest and most frightening! They are feared for many things: high speed, strange appearance and the possibility of being bitten.

Therefore, the fight against centipedes often turns into real hell for people. We will destroy all myths about them based on strictly scientific and verified data.

First, we will answer the most popular questions about what centipedes look like and where they live. And then we’ll find out if they bite and are poisonous. And also what to do if you are bitten by a centipede. But first, let's take a closer look at these disgusting creatures.

What do centipedes look like, where do they live, how many legs do they have? Answers to the most popular questions

We are surrounded by many species of these nasty centipedes. Among them there are the usual house centipedes, and quite dangerous monsters like centipedes. Imagine, you are lying in a bubble bath with a glass of wine, and suddenly this multi-legged monster appears in front of you out of nowhere?!

We think that each of us has seen a centipede close to us at least once in our lives. At first, people panic, start screaming and run away in horror.

At first the same questions appear in my head: “Who is this? How to get rid of it? Will he bite me? A little later, more logical and serious questions appear in your head.

We have prepared answers for you that will cover all the “dark spots” on the topic of fighting these creatures.

Let us say right away that they cannot be classified as insects: from a scientific point of view, centipedes and insects belong to the same type (arthropods), but at this stage they diverge.

Millipedes form the superclass of the same name, which belongs to the subphylum Tracheales. They are most often found in dark and damp places outdoors.

For example, in a pile of leaves, under tree bark or stones, in beds and in mulch.

It is not difficult to recognize these aliens. They crawl only at night or in complete darkness. The bodies of centipedes are extremely mobile and clearly segmented: each segment has a pair of legs. Moreover, as you approach the tail, the length of the legs increases.

Why - you ask? This allows the creature not to trip over itself and to move quickly. They have two poisonous claws on their heads, which people often mistake for jaws.

Certain variations are possible with body color: it is usually gray with the addition of red, brown or pink. But sometimes you can see yellow stripes.

Where do centipedes live?

Where can you find the common centipede? Theoretically, she herself could fall on your face at night or peek into the shower during home spa treatments. But more often, centipedes live in warm and damp basements, closets and attics. Of course, they love bathrooms and greenhouses.

There are also more inaccessible places. Experts recommend looking under concrete slabs and into all cracks, inside hollow walls, into sewer drains and boxes with old things. Moreover, it is much easier to “spot a centipede” in the dark: they are most active at night.

How many legs does a centipede have?

In general, they can have from 30 to 354 legs. One fun rule is that centipedes never have an even number of pairs of legs (always 5, 7, 9, 11, 13 or 15 pairs).

The house centipede (flycatcher) grows legs as it matures, and they typically have 15 pairs of legs. Surprisingly, the last pair of legs in an adult female is the longest - almost 2 times longer than the insect’s body itself.

And if you see an individual that has less than 30 legs, you know that it is still small.

Are centipedes poisonous?

Centipedes themselves are not poisonous, but many of them have glands containing poison. Arthropods need it in order to paralyze the prey and eat it. But the toxins also protect the centipedes themselves from the danger of becoming someone’s dinner: the liquid they secrete often smells very unpleasant - and the predators run away!

Types of centipedes

But more precisely, it is the insects and slugs they hunt, not humans, who should be afraid of the toxic composition of the centipede repellent liquid.

Although if you get in their way, they will most likely bite you. Scientists reassure everyone who is worried: “Centipedes do not carry diseases.”

These are not mosquitoes, among which the malarial one can creep in - centipedes cannot cause much harm to humans.

Many of these creatures have glands on the sides of their bodies that secrete poison. Therefore, it is better not to touch them with your bare hands, take care of your skin: their “defensive spray” is very caustic and blisters may appear on your hands! And, of course, do not rub your eyes after touching such a creature and wash your hands thoroughly.

But the one you should definitely be wary of is the scolopendra. This is one of the centipede family that people should avoid. The venom of scolopendra is somewhat reminiscent of scorpion venom in composition! And we'll talk about this below.

Do centipedes bite?

Yes, especially house flycatcher centipedes. But you don’t have to be afraid of the consequences of their bites: although these centipedes disgust you, they very rarely bite humans. As for animals, centipedes may well bite them: the smaller the animal is, the harder it will endure the bite. However, this happens extremely rarely. Mostly centipedes bite!

What to do if you are bitten by a scolopendra

But if you do get bitten by a scolopendra, be prepared for the following consequences (we’ll warn you right away, not fatal). The bites can be very painful and go away slowly over 1-2 days.

The main symptoms that you may experience: at the very moment of the bite there will be a sharp and prolonged pain; the severity of the pain can vary (from slight to “10” on a 10-point pain scale); body temperature may increase; you may feel severe weakness; Most likely, the sensitivity of the skin in the bite area will significantly increase, swelling and redness will appear, and loss of sensitivity and a feeling of numbness may also occur.

Scolopendras are somewhat similar to wasps, which do not leave a sting in the wound and can sting a person several times in a row. Often, at the moment of detection by a person, this creature continues to inflict multiple punctures, introducing even more poison. Centipedes usually bite when a person is resting in bed, but they can also crawl into clothes and bite the moment you start getting dressed.

But there is good news: scolopendra bites are not fatal! For a person to die from its poison, he must be bitten by several thousand individuals at the same time!

Helpful advice: if you are bitten by a scolopendra, find a heating pad at home, fill it with moderately hot water (up to 45 degrees C) and apply it to the bite site - this simple measure should bring relief.

Scientists have not yet found an explanation for this phenomenon, but they suspect that this is possible due to the fact that some components of scolopendra venom are unstable to heat.

The second remedy is ice and analgesics.