Giant Centipede (Scolapendra subspinipes)
Image Copyright Teerasak Thomas Suamcheepmasau
Image Copyright Sukanya Darasawang
Last Observed: January 2016, Koh Chang
Observed By: Teerasak Thomas Suamcheepmasau, Sukanya Darasawang
You have to draw the line somewhere. You can go as far as you like with the wonders of nature argument but at some stage you just have to step back and say that the Giant Centipede is a real nasty piece of work. Admire them if you must but make sure you do it at a distance for this is an extremely aggressive, fast-moving, highly poisonous predator. They eat whatever they can kill, and that’s a lot.
They are one of the world’s largest species of centipede and grow up to 20cm in length (I’m sure I’ve seen bigger on Koh Chang though).
Centipedes have only one pair of legs per segment whilst millipedes have four. This means that they can move far quicker.
They attack using a pair of modified legs on their head called forcipules that connect to venom glands.
Their poison is extremely painful but rarely fatal to humans.
You are most likely to encounter them in leaf litter or rotten wood – a compelling argument for avoiding gardening.
