Brown Centipede

Fascinating facts about the Brown Centipede

• When the garden centipede is uncovered it darts away at extreme speed, sprinting for the nearest shelter. This rapid escape is its hallmark reaction to disturbance and makes the species easy to spot in the field. Its behaviour is notably more extreme than that of many other large lithobiids, which tend to be less frantic in evasion.
• Garden centipede hatchlings emerge from the egg bearing seven pairs of legs. With each successive molt they add a new body segment, and a fresh pair of legs appears on that segment, gradually increasing their leg count. By the time they reach adulthood they can possess up to fifteen pairs of legs, reflecting the incremental growth pattern of lithobiids.
• The front legs of Lithobius forficatus have evolved into fang-like appendages that deliver venom to subdue prey. This specialised adaptation enables the centipede to overpower insects, spiders, slugs, worms and flies, which form its main diet. Although the venom is effective on small invertebrates, the centipede is harmless to humans because its bite rarely breaks the skin.
• Although the garden centipede carries venom in its fang-like front legs, it poses no real danger to people. The venom is used to subdue insects, spiders, slugs, worms and flies, but the centipede's tiny body means a bite seldom penetrates human skin. When contact does occur the result is only a brief, localised sting that quickly fades, leaving no lasting harm.

Sources

Every fact above was checked against these pages, and kept only where one of them states it.

• Wikipedia

At a glance

About the Brown Centipede

In the damp, hidden recesses of the forest floor, the brown centipede navigates its domain with an uncanny fluidity, its numerous legs rippling like a dark, liquid ribbon as it pursues the unsuspecting insects that cross its path. With a speed and stealth that belies its humble appearance, this unassuming hunter weaves through the leaf litter, its segmented body flexing and extending with a mesmerizing, almost serpentine elegance. As it moves, the brown centipede embodies a paradox of fragility and ferocity, a testament to the intricate, often overlooked beauty of the microscopic world.

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