Centipedes

Care Sheet

  
 

Centipedes are not actually insects, they are “Myriopods”. Despite their name, they don’t actually have 100 legs, and the amount of legs they have vary depending on the species. Centipedes are fast moving carnivores, and are very different from millipedes.

However, the two are often classed together. They have a hard exoskeleton and jointed legs. They live on land in moist microhabitats and hide under rocks and leaf litter. Quite often, turning over a large rock will reveal a centipede.

 

 

  
 

One centipede commonly found in the suburbs is the house centipede, (Scutigera forceps) which is about 2 inches (5 cm) long and has 15 pairs of legs. Some centipedes (Geophilus electricus) glow in the dark.

Centipedes have a flattened, segmented body, long antennae, and many legs (each leg is slightly longer than the one in front of it). Centipedes have from 15 to about 177 segments (but most have about 15).


  
 

 

Each body segment has a pair of legs that stick out from the sides. A member of the genus geophilus has 177 pairs of legs. When a leg is cut off it will regenerate. The body is divided into two parts, the head and a segmented trunk. They breathe through spiracles, holes positioned along the body which is similar to a caterpillar.

 

  
 

Basic Requirements

If you are about to get a Centipede, you need to make sure you have the basic requirements, before you even bring them home! Here is a list of the basic requirements for any Centipede.

  • Vivarium
  • Soil, Rocks, Leaves, Peat Moss
  • Water bowl

 

  
 

Optional Requirements

  • 50 Pairs of very small running shoes

 

  
 

Breakdown

Suitable For People Aged:
Experience Required:
Feeding Care Time Required:
Maintenance Time Required:
Minimum Space Required:
Cost of Upkeep: (approx)
Life Span: (approx)
Availability:


 

15 & Over VENOMOUS
None / Care Sheet
10 Min Every Few Days
10 Min a Week
Vivarium
$3 per week
Unknown
All Year

 

  
 

Centipedes Care Sheet

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