Giant Centipedes: Experiences with Centipede Bites & Behavior

[findi]

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

Please also check out my posts on Twitter http://bitly.com/JP27Nj and Facebook http://on.fb.me/KckP1m

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

 

[Kalidasa]

If I ever see a giant centipede I'm running for the hills

 

[Featheredsamurai]

Me too, they are pretty scary! A friend of mine has Vietnamese centipedes and I get a bit scared just holding their container lol

 

[JerseyWendy]

AWESOME!!!!! I love 'em!!!!

 

[Nocturnal]

Actually probably one of the creatures I am most terrified of. I will not go near them. My aunt and uncle live in Hawaii and one night they felt something move under the covers... they jumped up and turned on the lights... and... well I can guess you know where this is going... turned on the lights just in time to see the end of a big nasty one slipping back under the covers. Ugh... I get the shivers just thinking about it.

 

[BoomBoom]

You're thread had me googling giant centipedes and I came upon this... (not for the faint of heart)

[ame=http://youtu.be/ooFSFR2s7Ig]A Huge Centipede Fighting A Snake - YouTube[/ame]

 

[BoomBoom]

Omg here is another one. At least the bat did not suffer too long:

[ame=http://youtu.be/UROVfmY3NTA]Giant Bat-Eating Centipede - YouTube[/ame]

 

[findi]

Hi All,

Thanks for the interest and videos,

Kind of nightmarish...even for a lifelong zookeeper and field biologist...In Venezuela, I've slept under nets to keep vampire bats at bay, but it was centipedes that were most on my mind...bats have sense enought o flee when you swat at them! best, frank

 

[aliray]

Not on my list of future pets. Too many legs

 

[findi]

Not on my list of future pets. Too many legs

I've had some that lost many f their legs...still scary!

 

[PicklesParrot]

If I ever see a giant centipede I'm running for the hills

Me Tooooo! Creepy little critters!