Scolopendra gigantea (also known as the giant Peruvian centipede or Amazon giant centipede) is the largest representative of the genus Scolopendra and the class Chilopoda in general, with an average length of about 26 cm. This arthropod uses venom to paralyze its prey before consuming them.
Its long, flat body has up to 27 segments, with 21 pairs of legs. The first pair of legs acts as fangs, used to stab and inject venom into the body of its prey.
The giant centipede can be found in northern Colombia and northern Venezuela, as well as the nearby islands of Aruba, Curaçao, and Trinidad. However, its ancestors originated from the Virgin Islands of the United States, Haiti, Mexico, and Honduras. Their ideal habitat is typically under wood, tree bark, and in the leaf litter of tropical rainforests.
Occasionally, they can be found in caves. To learn more about this creature, Newsweek spoke with Greg Edgecombe, a centipede expert.
For arthropods, Scolopendra gigantea is considered the king in terms of size. Most specimens found in various museums range from 12 cm to 26 cm in length; however, individuals measuring up to 30 cm have been discovered, capable of preying on mice and lizards.
With such gigantic size, this insect is fully capable of killing and consuming small mammals. According to Edgecombe, centipedes are omnivorous, hunting based on the size of their targets, and they can even eat smaller centipedes.
“Perhaps the most famous report of Scolopendra gigantea is the video recording made in a limestone cave in Venezuela published in 2005,” the expert noted.
A white-legged Scolopendra gigantea specimen.
The video captures Scolopendra gigantea crawling up the cave wall, hanging upside down, using its last pair of legs to cling to a crevice in the ceiling, before catching and killing at least three bat species living in the cave. These bats, of course, weigh more than the centipede.
Centipedes can kill their prey by injecting venom into their bodies. Edgecombe stated: “Centipedes have venom glands located in a modified pair of legs just below their heads. The neurotoxic venom from their legs can disrupt the cardiovascular, respiratory, and nervous systems, ultimately killing the prey.”
“The fact that they have killed and fed on many vertebrates, and from what we know about the venom of other large Scolopendra species, a bite from Scolopendra gigantea would certainly be painful for humans. While bites from giant centipedes are very rarely fatal to us, the pain can be severe, and localized swelling is common,” Edgecombe said.
There has only been one confirmed case of death due to a centipede bite. In 2014, a child in Venezuela was bitten by a centipede hiding in an empty soda can. The child was taken to the hospital immediately, but their condition quickly deteriorated, leading to death. Researchers confirmed that the culprit was Scolopendra gigantea.
Edgecombe mentioned that Scolopendra gigantea is a “New World Scolopendra” typical. This means that the Scolopendra species in North and South America share a “few characteristics, indicating they are the closest relatives to each other and form a natural evolutionary unit.”
“All of them have a curved groove on the first body segment parallel to the outline of the head’s rear. Additionally, they also have clusters of spines on the segments of the last legs that we do not see in older Scolopendra generations. Scolopendra gigantea shares many common features with other large species from South America and the Galápagos Islands, such as Scolopendra galapagoensis,” Edgecombe explained.
