Giant Centipedes: Experiences with Centipede Bites & Behavior

[findiviglio]

Hi All,

Whether you are considering the massive Amazonian Giant Centipede (Scolopendra gigantea) or the tiniest native species, the keeping of these fascinating but potentially dangerous creatures should not be undertaken lightly. During the course of my career in zoo-keeping and field research, I’ve encountered many species, and have learned something of the difficulties and dangerous their care poses. An escaped Giant Centipede once gave me much cause for concern (please see article linked below), and several colleagues have been bitten, sometimes with dire results. Yet many of us are drawn to them, and with so much still to learn, and so many species yet to be discovered, their study offers an exciting challenge.

Read the rest of this article here: Giant Centipedes - My Experiences with Centipede Bites and Behavior

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Thanks, Frank
My Bio, with photos of animals I’ve been lucky enough to work with That Pet Place welcomes Zoologist/Herpetologist Frank Indiviglio to That Reptile Blog | That Reptile Blog

[Bombina Bob]

Ive had some experience with many african and asian centepedes but never the Scolopendras.
one of the centepedes escaped and crawled up my shoulder when i was cleaning the feeders, i was
never bitten suprisingly but it felt verry bizzare. it was not hurt and i wasnt either. the reason
why it escaped is because it was able to push the critter keeper lid off, they CAN do this!

[exasperatus2002]

When I was little I was bit by one of my native red colored centipede, Lithobius forficatus. I was playing with it, thinking it was a salamander. Then it bit me. I remember it hurt alot and learned that salamanders dont have fangs like that.

[findiviglio]

When I was little I was bit by one of my native red colored centipede, Lithobius forficatus. I was playing with it, thinking it was a salamander. Then it bit me. I remember it hurt alot and learned that salamanders dont have fangs like that.

One never forgets those lessons! As a child, i once filled my many aquariums with mosquito larvae, thinking I had "discovered" a form of fresh water brine shrimp; I learned otherwise when those that escaped my fish and newts hatched...worse still, my poor sister was highly allergic! best, Frank

[findiviglio]

Ive had some experience with many african and asian centepedes but never the Scolopendras.
one of the centepedes escaped and crawled up my shoulder when i was cleaning the feeders, i was
never bitten suprisingly but it felt verry bizzare. it was not hurt and i wasnt either. the reason
why it escaped is because it was able to push the critter keeper lid off, they CAN do this!

Thanks, Bob...they are surprisingly strong, aren't they? the Arkive video showing one snatching sizable bats attests to that!