What is the true identity of this “thousand-legged snake”?
China has a region known as Shennongjia National Forest Park, which is considered a “giant biological research hub”. Located in the northwest of Hubei Province (Central China), Shennongjia is the only forest area equivalent to a county in the country.
With a total area of 3,253 km2 filled with vast primary forests, Shennongjia appears like a ‘paradise in the wilderness’. Recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site and a Global Geopark, Shennongjia continues to attract scientists for exploration.
There was a scientific expedition from China that discovered something strange during their journey.
Strange “Thousand-Legged Snake” at Shennongjia
According to the story, during a break, a female member of the expedition spotted a peculiar gray-black “snake” moving around. What was puzzling was that it had no head or scales covering its body like other snakes.
Even more bizarre, upon closer inspection, this “snake” seemed to have many small legs, sending chills down everyone’s spine. Driven by curiosity, the female scientist used a branch to poke the “snake”.
To her surprise, its body seemed to break apart into many pieces.
This “snake” appears to have many small legs, sending chills down everyone’s spine.
The body was scattered into hundreds, even thousands of tiny maggots crawling everywhere, but shortly after, these maggots gradually regrouped into the original “snake”. They seemed to realize that their surroundings were unsafe and quickly crawled away, disappearing under a rock.
Before she could think, the female scientist quickly reported the situation to the expedition leader, believing she had discovered a new species.
Unexpectedly, the leader laughed and said: This organism has existed since ancient times, and the local people in Shennongjia call it “Thousand-Legged Snake”. However, this “snake” has no relation to regular snakes.
In fact, the so-called “snake” is actually composed of hundreds, even thousands of larvae of the dark-winged fungus gnat Sciaridae.
Due to their frailty and vulnerability to birds or other predators, they stack on top of each other to move in search of food. This shape creates an illusion for observers from a distance, making it appear as a “snake.”
This is actually the larvae of the dark-winged fungus gnat Sciaridae stacked on top of each other as they move in search of food.
In nature, many species of animals or insects have various self-defense mechanisms. For example, some animals pretend to be dead to avoid natural predators, while others may shed their tails to confuse enemies.
These special methods are designed to protect themselves from all threats. The illusion of the “thousand-legged snake” is precisely the trick used by the larvae of Sciaridae to survive.
Sciaridae – a family of flies, commonly known as dark-winged fungus gnats – can be found worldwide, even in harsh environments such as sub-Antarctic islands and high-altitude regions over 4,000 meters. Other species (like Parapnyxia) have been discovered in deserts, where they burrow into the sand under extreme temperatures.
A male dark-winged fungus gnat Sciaridae. (Photo: Beatriz Moisset).
Some species only live in caves. However, most species thrive in the foliage of forests, wetlands, and moist grasslands. They are also commonly found in flower pots.
Currently, about 1,700 species have been described, but it is estimated that around 20,000 species remain to be discovered, primarily in tropical regions. Over 600 species are known from Europe.
The female dark-winged fungus gnat Sciaridae lays approximately 300 eggs in moist soil (each egg is about 1 mm long). After about a week, the larvae hatch. About 90% of the larvae are female. Up to 2,500 larvae can be found in one square meter.
Larvae of some species in the Sciaridae family (especially Sciara militaris) may migrate in long lines up to 10 meters, consisting of thousands of stacked larvae.
Sciaridae larvae.
In the larval stage, dark-winged fungus gnat Sciaridae are gray-white, elongated, and cylindrical, with a body length of about 10-13 mm, with thin skin that reveals their internal intestines. They feed on decomposing organic matter, serving as decomposers in the ecosystem. Despite their small size, they are notorious pests for crops.
Larvae of Sciaridae feed on the roots and leaves of plants. When plants are attacked, the leaves may turn yellow, rot, or even die.
Within 28 days, the larvae develop into adult flies and continue to reproduce rapidly. Dark-winged fungus gnats Sciaridae are tiny black flies, only about 3 mm in size. They are easily recognized by their long wings and slow, wobbly flight.
Dark-winged fungus gnats Sciaridae only consume liquids and live long enough to mate and lay eggs. They die after about 5 days.
