Scolopendra as a representative of the animal world. Scolopendra: absolute evil from the world of centipedes

The largest centipede on the planet: a fast, incredibly vicious and very, very creepy giant centipede!

The giant scolopendra came to this planet, apparently straight from a nightmare. This centipede reaches a quarter of a meter in length, and its body consists of 21–23 sections, each of which is equipped with a pair of fast, dexterous legs 2.5 cm high. Giant scolopendra lives in South America, Puerto Rico and Jamaica.

The head of the centipede is equipped with strong jaws filled with poison - thanks to this, it is able to hunt animals significantly larger than it in size, for example, bats. In addition, the centipede has an irritable and nervous character, which is facilitated by the lack of vision - the animal’s eyes can only distinguish between light and darkness. This makes the centipede rather suspicious, and in response to a threat, it prefers to attack by injecting a paralytic poison into the victim.

When hungry, the scolopendra becomes very aggressive, it is capable of developing great speed when hunting, and the agility and mobility of its body allows it to hunt even small birds. Scolopendra devours the victim gradually, as it digestive system it is arranged very primitively. For example, once researchers observed her eating a killed bat - in 3 hours she devoured and digested about 35% of the victim’s body.

The giant scolopendra is included in the list of the most dangerous animals. In addition, she has a repulsive appearance and has one unpleasant feature - she is not at all afraid of people. It is a cold-blooded predator that hunts not only small invertebrates and beetles, but also lizards, birds, mice and frogs.

Types of centipedes

There are about 600 species of these predators in the world. They belong to the genus of labiopods from the order Scolopendra. Prominent representatives of these animals are the Californian scolopendra, ringed scolopendra and Lucas scolopendra. The first reaches 20 centimeters in length and is found in arid regions of Mexico and the United States. This species has one unpleasant feature - when disturbed, the animal causes inflammation of human skin at the point of contact with the limbs of this centipede. At rest, the Californian scolopendra is not dangerous.

The ringed scolopendra is found in the countries of the Mediterranean basin, in Southern Europe, North Africa and in the south of Russia. It is widespread in Crimea. Average length body length is 14 centimeters, but some individuals reach 170 millimeters. This species has a beautiful golden yellow color. Like other members of the Scolopenridae family, the ringed scolopendra has venom glands.

The largest of the centipedes is Scolopendra gigantea.

The giant scolopendra, reaching an average of 25-26 centimeters, is the largest representative of the Scolopendridae family. Cases of catching animals 30 centimeters long have been described. The habitat of this predator is the tropical forests of Central and South America, islands of Trinidad and Jamaica, Venezuela.

Lifestyle

Giant scolopendra, like all other representatives of the genus of centipedes, is thermophilic and lives exclusively in countries with warm or tropical climate. This nocturnal predator who feels uncomfortable during the day open spaces. All scolopendras run very fast, but the giant one is especially swift.

Scolopendras live mainly underground or in shelters, since their body does not have strong protection and quickly loses moisture.

She prefers to hunt small underground invertebrates: larvae, earthworms and beetles. Giant centipede can catch and kill small lizards, frogs, birds, mice and even small snakes. The predator also catches bats. To do this, she climbs onto the ceiling where the victim sleeps, holds on to the surface with several claws, and attacks with her front legs, wrapping around bat and injecting poison into her.

Scolopendras are bright individualists and prefer to live alone. However, the meeting of two males most often occurs quite peacefully. Cannibalism occurs in this species of centipede. Most often this happens in captivity, when a hungry adult is able to eat the young. In nature, this happens quite rarely.

Anatomy

The scolopendra's body consists of two parts: the head and a long body. It is divided into segments. Their number varies from 21 to 23. All of them are equipped with a pair of light yellow legs that end in a pointed spine. Their average length is 2.5 centimeters. Each of them has a poison gland. Therefore, when the legs of a scolopendra come into contact with human skin, inflammation occurs.

The head is a plate with eyes, two antennae and a pair of jaws. During the evolution, the legs of the first segment of the scolopendra's body turned into poisonous claws.

Different from the rest and last pair legs - they are larger in size and directed backwards. The hind legs help the animal when moving through earthen burrows and during hunting, acting as a kind of anchor.

Giant scolopendra has a beautiful copper-red or brown color. Color can vary from yellowish to red, blue, green and purple. The color of an animal changes with age, and even among individuals of the same species it can differ significantly.

The predator's body consists of plates that are interconnected by flexible membranes and protected by an exoskeleton. Giant scolopendra is a soft-bodied animal. This type of centipede, like many invertebrates, has to shed its chitinous exoskeleton, which does not grow, from time to time. This process is called molting.

The giant scolopendra, whose bite is extremely painful for humans, is often kept in captivity by centipede lovers. She is interesting to watch, but needs to be kept with caution - she is a fast and aggressive animal. Inexperienced lovers are better off abandoning such a dangerous “pet” because of the very likely possibility of being bitten. Since centipedes are flat and flexible, they can squeeze into a small gap and escape from the terrarium. They live in captivity for a long time - up to 7 years.

It is necessary to maintain relatively high soil and air humidity - animals are very sensitive to this indicator.

Scolopendras in captivity feed on cockroaches, mealworm larvae and crickets. They eat slowly and infrequently. It is recommended to give them food 1-2 times a week.

What are the dangers of meeting a centipede?

The danger of these predators is greatly exaggerated. All centipedes have venomous glands that produce poison, but many of them are harmless to humans because they simply cannot bite through the skin. These are cryptops, or blind centipedes, and drupes. A flycatcher living in houses can bite only for the purpose of self-defense. Most often, her jaws cannot bite through the skin. But if this happens, the bite will be equal in strength to a bee.

What does a scolopendra bite look like? It depends on the type of centipede. When the animal bites through the skin, it releases poison, which causes burning, pain and swelling. The bite may also be accompanied by nausea and dizziness.

The venom of the giant scolopendra is especially toxic. It causes severe swelling (the arm may swell up to the shoulder) and high temperature. These symptoms persist for several days.

Video: Scolopendra catches and eats a mole cricket

The only documented case of death from a scolopendra bite is the death of a child from the venom of Scolopendra subspinipes. This species has several names: Chinese, Vietnamese or orange centipede.

Some species of these predators, when disturbed, secrete a protective fluid that causes burns when it comes into contact with the skin. For example, the Californian scolopendra has this feature.

After a centipede bite, you need to wash the wound, apply cold water and consult a doctor. Usually, analgesic drugs are prescribed and tetanus is prevented.

Female centipedes pose the greatest danger (they are more poisonous) to small children, people with weakened immune systems, and people with allergies.

How to protect yourself from being bitten in nature

You cannot pick up a scolopendra with your bare hands. In scolopendra habitats, it is not recommended to spend the night outside a tent. When putting on shoes and clothes, you should first inspect them. You need to be careful when turning over stones. It should be remembered that the centipede is not an insect, and fumigators do not affect it.

Facts: all the most interesting things about the predatory centipede

It is difficult to kill this predator. Firstly, all types of centipedes run very fast. Secondly, they are so flat that they simply press into the ground, and it is almost impossible to crush them.
Even the ancient Greeks called all types of centipedes scolopendras.
IN South Africa Rhizida lives - blue scolopendra.
In Thailand and Africa, these animals are eaten.

Scolopendras are not the most pleasant creatures. And no one is safe from meeting them. Many species of these arthropods are poisonous, and some have adapted to live very close to us - in apartments.

Forcipules

Scientists have counted 8,000 species of various scolopendras living in the most different corners planets. These centipedes are the only arthropods in which the legs of the first segment are not intended for walking. It's about about special appendages, the so-called forcipules, which have poisonous claws.

That is why their appearance causes deserved fear in people. Writers and screenwriters turn to the image of centipedes to make their works more creepy. For example, the American writer William Seward Burroughs, in his novels “Cities of the Red Night”, “The Space of the Dead Roads” and “The Western Lands”, called the centipede an absolute evil. The movie "King Kong" (2005) shows how huge centipedes attacked travelers.

Poisonous creature

Depending on the species and age, a scolopendra bite can have a variety of consequences for a person, including death. Moreover, females are more poisonous than males.

Fortunately, deadly centipedes are not found in Russia. But scolopendras, which live in the Crimea, in particular on Tarkhankut, can indeed sting very painfully.

“A centipede about thirteen centimeters crawled into my sneaker at Cape Sarych,” said local resident Alexander. - I tore off my shoes in an instant from the pain without untying the laces. A bee bite compared to a scolopendra is about the same as a mosquito bite compared to a wasp. The temperature remained high for two days.”

Is it a centipede?

How many legs does the centipede, sometimes called the centipede, actually have? Judging by the name, which has taken root among the common people, forty. Meanwhile, depending on the species, these arthropods can have from 15 to 171 body segments and the same number of pairs of legs. However, in any case, they always have odd number pairs of legs, so in reality centipedes do not occur in nature.

Predators

By nature, all centipedes are predators. Small - feed on other invertebrates, mollusks and annelids. Larger species living in the tropics are capable of eating a frog and even small birds. Having attacked the victim, centipedes wrap themselves around the prey and wait for the poison to begin to act. Only after this do they start eating.

Even those centipedes that live in our homes - Scutigera coleoptrata - are also predators, and they feed on flies, cockroaches, spiders, bedbugs and other domestic insects. They are often called common flycatchers. These are, as a rule, four-centimeter 15-segmented centipedes that run very quickly from people. They can only be removed with sticky traps or by eliminating moisture in the house.

Long-lived arthropods

Compared to most other arthropods, centipedes are long-lived. There are many species that live for two to three years. This is also surprising because centipedes grow throughout their lives, unlike other insects in which growth stops with puberty.

One more unique ability these creatures are regenerating lost legs, for example, after a bird attack. True, new pairs grow after molting. In this case, the regenerated legs are shorter than the old legs.

Loving mothers

Usually arthropod insects, with rare exceptions, are irresponsible parents. It is believed that maternal love is inherent in more developed animals.

However, scientists were surprised to discover that scolopendras have a maternal instinct. For example, the soil scolopendra Geophilomorpha and the tropical centipede species Scolopendromorpha guard the egg mass until the larvae emerge. However, here too scolopendras have amazing properties that are practically not found in the rest of the animal world. Some of them reproduce without the participation of a male - that is, parthenogenetically. These are the centipedes that live in Crimea.

Giant scolopendras

On the islands of Jamaica and Trinidad, as well as in some places in South America, there live giant centipedes, which can have a length of 26 cm. However, a thirty-centimeter centipede was found in Australia. It is known about these insects that they eat for a very long time so as not to harm themselves by overeating and often take breaks in the process of devouring the victim. After eating, these centipedes carefully clean their jaws with their antennae.

Scolopendra is a predatory poisonous animal from the centipede family. She is known for her unusual appearance, which causes conflicting feelings in people. Most people experience fear and disgust when meeting her. But there are lovers of exotic animals who keep them in home terrariums and even let them run around the apartment. Is scolopendra dangerous for humans? She will not be able to cause significant harm to health, but her bite will cause a lot of damage. discomfort in the form of pain and malaise from poison.

Features of the life of a poisonous centipede

Scolopendra are bright representatives of the genus of labiopods. Their distinctive feature- modified forelimbs, transformed into jaws. The body consists of segments, the number of which is different types ranges from 21 to 25. Each segment has its own pair of legs ending in sharp claws. The segmented antennae serve as organs of touch. The variety of colors attracts attention to these creatures. Their colors include red, blue, orange, purple, yellow and numerous combinations.

Giant scolopendra

A variety of types and colors of scolopendra are found in hot tropical forests. The largest representatives of the family, the giant centipedes, live here. The average length of their body is 30 cm, but there are individuals up to 45-50 cm. They choose prey equal in size to themselves. But an aggressive manner of attacking any danger can provoke a person to bite. Scolopendra is a long-liver among invertebrates; in captivity there are individuals that have lived up to 7 years.

Information. Scientists attribute the animal's aggression to poor eyesight.

Nutrition and reproduction

Scolopendras are nocturnal predators, they hide from sun rays drying out their body. Creatures live in crevices, under stones, in holes. Agile animals move quickly on numerous legs not only on horizontal, but also on vertical surfaces, and climb onto the ceiling of a cave or house. Centipedes hunt insects, small rodents, snakes and lizards.

During the breeding season, males lay a special sac with seed - a spermatophore. Females are fertilized by crawling over it. Caring mothers protect the eggs from danger for several weeks, covering them with their own paws. After the offspring appear, the female crawls away. The white, soft-bodied babies grow on their own, becoming more adult-like with each molt.

Poisonous apparatus

In order to have a good idea of the consequences of a scolopendra bite, it is worth considering the structure of its poisonous apparatus. The jaws with which the centipede catches prey consist of 6 segments. The outermost one is a sharp claw, curved inward. The venom gland channel runs inside the maxillary. At the tip of the claw there is a hole through which the toxin is injected into the victim. It contains substances that cause severe pain, tissue numbness, swelling and inflammation. Painful sensations last from several hours to several days.

Attention. Scolopendra poison is especially dangerous in spring and autumn.

Encounter with Scolopendra

Giant centipedes with an aggressive disposition and toxic poison, found in the tropics and subtropics. Residents temperate zone There is no need to fear a collision with a 30-centimeter giant that can easily kill a small snake. In Europe, there are individuals that are half the size of representatives of tropical species. Why is scolopendra dangerous for humans? The bite of a poisonous centipede is very painful. In most cases, the dose of injected poison is small; it will not kill or paralyze an adult. Children are at greater risk; their bodies have still formed a strong protective immune system. An attack by a large animal on a child can lead to serious consequences.

Attention. California scolopendra can cause painful skin changes without even needing to bite. Her body contains toxic mucus, which comes out when there is danger. Contact with it causes a severe allergic reaction.

On the territory of Russia, scolopendras are found only in a few regions - Crimea, Caucasus, Rostov region And Krasnodar region. Small centipedes, 12-14 cm, live here. This is the ringed scolopendra. She leads night look life, at dusk it goes out to hunt for insects and small lizards. The species is not aggressive, but you should be careful during overnight hikes. A centipede can crawl into a tent or sleeping bag. You should also be careful when collecting branches for the fire. If you accidentally disturb a scolopendra, you will receive a bite comparable to the sting of 20 bees. The effect of the poison is not fatal, but extremely unpleasant and painful. Claws on numerous limbs leave red spots on the skin if the arthropod simply runs across the body.

Scolopendra in the house

The ringed scolopendra can settle in the house. She is attracted by a favorable environment - warmth, the presence of damp and dark shelters, food in the form of insects. She doesn't eat human food or damage furniture. A positive aspect of its presence is the removal of all small invertebrates: cockroaches, spiders, flies. Such a neighborhood is safe until you accidentally step on a centipede or provoke it in some other way. In defense of itself, the scolopendra will bite. Residents of coastal areas where dangerous centipedes live should be careful. Don't leave open doors, and install mosquito nets on the windows.

How to get rid of centipedes?

There will be few thrill-seekers who will normally accept the appearance of a small but poisonous scolopendra in the house. Fears for their health and the well-being of their children force them to look for an opportunity to drive her out of the house. The best solution in this case is the creation unfavorable conditions– complete destruction of insects and drying of moisture.

What to do if you are bitten by a centipede?

If it was not possible to avoid the attack of the scolopendra, then the person should be given first aid based on the symptoms that appear:

burning at the site of the bite;
redness;
edema;
increase in body temperature to 38-39 0;
nausea;
weakness and dizziness.

Most scolopendra attacks occur in the tropics and deserts. Attacks by local centipedes cause inflammation and tissue necrosis, kidney failure, and heart failure. The lymph nodes located close to the bite site become enlarged.

The described symptoms persist for up to two days. It would seem that the residents Russian cities There is no reason to be afraid of Asian and tropical centipedes, but danger can lurk in your own apartment. Numerous exotic animal lovers keep beautiful tropical species of centipedes, but in the process of caring for them they make mistakes, as a result of which they bite their owners or run away. The fugitive easily and quickly climbs the walls and hides in the ventilation system. An unexpected dangerous guest can appear in any apartment.

Advice. If you need to transplant a scolopendra from a terrarium, do not touch it with your bare hands, use special forceps.

What to do if you are bitten by a scolopendra? The poison of tropical species quickly penetrates the blood and spreads throughout the body. To reduce this process, it is recommended to apply a tourniquet above the bite site. Treat the wound with substances that neutralize the poison:

ethyl alcohol - pour on the wound;
alkaline solution - prepared at home from baking soda.

Call a doctor immediately if you develop a fever, confusion, numbness in your limbs, or difficulty breathing.

Information. The bite of the Vietnamese scolopendra Scolopendra subspinipes, which has a body length of 20 cm, leaves a wound up to 1.5 cm in diameter and 5 mm in depth. Within 2 hours, the limb doubles in size, the effects of the toxin are similar to the venom of a viper. Blood flows from the wound for a long time; special substances in the poison prevent it from clotting. The condition is accompanied by an increase in temperature to 39-40 degrees. It is recommended that the victim be given an antihistamine and sent to the hospital.

One of the consequences of a centipede bite is infection. Remains of animal food that has rotted on the jaws can get into the wound. Thorough treatment with a disinfectant (hydrogen peroxide, alcohol tincture) will help avoid unpleasant complications. In the absence special means Simply wash the wound with soap and water.

What treatment can be used at home?

After washing the affected area with water or alcohol, apply a sterile bandage. To reduce pain, use an ice compress and take an analgesic. The patient needs rest, it is advisable to drink plenty of fluids to help remove toxins from the body. It would be a good idea to take allergy medications.

Do not panic when meeting a centipede; the small centipede will try to quickly hide from a person. Also, do not act carelessly and pick it up. It is difficult to predict the animal's reaction; if it panics, it will definitely bite. Remember that the centipede's venom is not fatal, but the bite site will turn red and hurt for several hours.

Despite the fact that in lately Scolopendras are gaining popularity as pets; for most people, these creatures are extremely unpleasant.

The sight of a scolopendra is truly frightening. This is not an ordinary centipede, but a creature with long legs and a segmented chitinous skeleton.

Centipedes that live in houses and apartments are more correctly called common flycatchers. In a sense, flytraps are even useful in everyday life - they catch flies, cockroaches, fleas, moths, and spiders.

Such centipedes are not too dangerous for humans, they can rather frighten. An angry flycatcher moves very quickly, and if it comes into contact with a person’s skin, it can sting, but this sting is no more dangerous than a bee sting.

IN southern regions There are also ringed scolopendras, which can reach 10-15 cm in length. These are much more dangerous guests that can cause unpleasant burns.

If you are not happy with such guests, then first of all you need to remove all the cracks in the walls, reduce the humidity, which attracts these creatures, try to better ventilate the room and better illuminate it. Centipedes themselves can only be caught mechanically. The problem is that their chitinous layer is very strong, so it is not easy to kill centipedes. It is better to catch it in a jar and release it as far from home as possible.

Dangerous exotic

The giant scolopendra can be truly dangerous to humans. This creature can reach 25 cm in length. Not only the bite of a giant scolopendra is poisonous, but also a simple touch to human skin. Its body consists of 21-23 segments; it can be conditionally divided into the head and torso.

Each of the scolopendra's 36-40 legs contains poison, so a disturbed creature running across a person's skin leaves serious burns.

A person who has had such contact with any tropical scolopendra is guaranteed severe swelling of the contact site, fever and temperature above 38. The swelling can last a week or two; upon contact with the most poisonous specimens, tissue necrosis may begin. There are also cases where scolopendra venom caused paralysis, muscle spasms, vomiting and interruptions in heart function.

There is a scale for the pain of insect bites, with a bee sting taken as the starting point on the scale. So, contact with scolopendra is about 20 times more painful.

Scientists have already refuted the idea that a scolopendra bite can be fatal. However, if you come into contact with the venom of this creature, you should immediately consult a doctor.

Class: Chilopoda Leach, 1814 = Labiopods

Order: Scolopendromorpha Pocock, 1895 = Scolopendra

Family: Scolopendridae = Scolopendra

Genus: Scolopendra = Scolopendra

Centipedes are individualists and live alone. But if two centipedes suddenly meet in the same underground passage, they usually crawl away peacefully. It happens that males cling to each other with their hind legs and sit like that for more than an hour, and then still crawl to the sides. But they can also bite each other - then in half the cases the centipedes die. In captivity, it happens that hungry adult centipedes kill and eat young ones, but in nature, apparently, cannibalism does not occur very often.

At the end of spring - beginning of summer, scolopendras begin to reproduce - the male weaves a web around his earthen passage and lays a spermatophore - a sperm sac - on it. Then he pushes the female, forcing her to crawl over the spermatophore and pick it up to fertilize the eggs. In Crimea, there are populations of only female scolopendras; they reproduce parthenogenetically, without the participation of males. The female guards the laid eggs in a burrow for several weeks, wrapping her legs around them. At this moment, it releases special substances that inhibit the development of mold. Finally, the young larvae emerge - white and soft. After molting several times, they darken and crawl away, beginning an independent life. But until maturity, their color will be lighter than that of adults. Life cycle The lifespan of centipedes is longer than that of many insects, averaging 1–2 years in small species. large scorpopendras can live up to 6 years, at least in captivity.

Currently, more than 550 species of scolopendra have been described. These are mainly inhabitants of the tropics and subtropics, only a few reach Europe and Far East. The ringed scolopendra is common in our country, in Southern Europe, the Mediterranean, Transcaucasia and Central Asia there are several more similar, smaller species. In the Primorsky Territory there were isolated finds of Asian centipedes otostigmus and subspinipes. The latter, Scolopendra subspinipes, is widespread in South Asia and reaches a length of 20 cm. There is a known case in the Philippines where a seven-year-old child died from its bite to the head - this is the only reliably recorded case of human death from centipede venom.

And in general, a person rarely has the opportunity to be bitten by a scolopendra - unless it accidentally runs into his home at night and is accidentally crushed. Centipedes use their venom sparingly and can bite several times in a row. In humans, their bites cause local swelling and pain, usually lasting 1–2 hours. If the scolopendra is large, these phenomena can last for several days, and the temperature may rise. Centipede venom contains lecithin, histamine, thermolysins, and hyaluronidase. It is well preserved in the cold, but is quickly destroyed when heated, under the influence of ether, ethyl alcohol, and strong alkalis. Therefore, when bitten by large centipedes, it is recommended to slightly incise the wounds from the jaws and wash them with alcohol, a strong solution of potassium permanganate or ammonia.

The largest scolopendra, the giant scolopendra (Scolopendra gigantea), can reach more than 26 cm in length. She was even credited with attacks on toads, lizards and chicks. This species lives in the Antilles and northwestern South America.

Representatives of the genus of blind centipedes - Cryptops - live in top layer soil, these animals almost never come to its surface. They are also poisonous, but their weak jaws cannot bite through the skin. These small yellow-brown centipedes, 3–4 cm long, are found in the steppes and gardens up to the latitude of Moscow, that is, much north of the real centipedes. But in the tropics their diversity is much greater and they are colored bluish, greenish, reddish, yellow, and violet.

The California green centipede (Scolopendra heros) is diurnal, and when disturbed, it secretes a substance that irritates the skin if the centipede runs over the body, scratching it with its claws. By the way, when our ringed scolopendra runs along the hand, it tingles the body with its claws and leaves red dots on it, which, however, quickly disappear.

The Vietnamese scolopendra otostigmus (Otostigmus aculeatus) secretes a luminescent liquid with the smell of phosphorus - it causes severe burns and inflammation of the skin.

Some African centipedes can make chirping and crackling noises with their rear pairs of legs, which scares away enemies, such as centipedes rhizidae, alipes, and South African centipedes. Interestingly, they themselves do not react to sound.

Small relatives of scolopendras - drupes (Lithobiomorpha) are widespread. In the Caucasus, cases are described when they accidentally got into the stomach along with fruit or crawled into the nose of a sleeping person. But this happens rarely. More northern drupes lead an inconspicuous terrestrial lifestyle. Sometimes they are found in cities near the damp foundations of houses. Drupes feed on small soil inhabitants: nematode worms, oligochaetes, and beetle larvae. They also have poison glands, but their jaws cannot pierce human skin.

Among the predatory centipedes, the scutigera flycatcher (Scutigera coleoptrata) with 15 pairs of long legs and long antennae is also noticeable. She runs along the walls and hunts flies and others small insects. The flycatcher has many eyes; their clusters resemble the compound eyes of insects and are apparently used for hunting. The flycatcher is more adapted to dry air than other centipedes and is more often found during the day, although during hot, sunny hours it still hides in shelter. At the same time, it can be active at more low temperatures than many insects - this helps her in hunting. Now the flycatcher has become rare in Crimea and is listed in the Red Book of Ukraine.

In general, centipedes suffer greatly from the massive use of pesticides. But let's hope that they will still remain in the future as an essential element of the soil fauna.