Baby Centipede
A friend came over the other day after working on some construction, and suddenly this baby centipede was on our balcony. Probably it was hiding in his clothing, which isn’t really a place where you want to have a centipede. Although a bite from this centipede wouldn’t be fatal or cause permanent damage, it can still be very painful.
As far as I can tell, it was a juvenile from a genus of giant scorpions, possibly the species Scolopendra subspinipes, which is found in many tropical areas of the world and is not native to St. Martin. There are a few other related species on the island. They can live for several years and are primarily nocturnal hunters, eating insects, spiders, lizards and other small animals.
What may be most surprising – particularly for those who fear or hate the giant centipede for its bite – is how pretty the juvenile is, as you can see below.
August 26th, 2011 at 10:17 am
eek – saw a really big one once while I was hiking alone – don’t do that anymore…
August 26th, 2011 at 11:17 am
I’ve been stung far too many times, so I fail to see the beauty you see Marc. I kept trying to hit the screen!
August 26th, 2011 at 2:04 pm
[…] careful. Prowling spiders (Miturgidae) are out prowling those same tree branches at night, as are giant centipedes. Last night I was a little surprised to see a giant centipede eating a snail. Why have such […]
August 26th, 2011 at 9:17 pm
Nice baby, yep it’s the Scolopendra subspinipes, colorful and painful ;)