Texas Parks and Wildlife Shares Giant Redheaded Centipede Photo

Posted on July 4, 2015

Texas Parks and Wildlife shared the a photograph of a giant redheaded centipede (Scolopendra heros) on its Facebook page. The photo of the centipede crawling on a broom has since viraled around the Internet. The photo was taken at Garner State Park.

The Facebook entry can be found here. Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine also has an article about the large centipede. The centipede can reach up to 8 inches in the wild and grows larger in captivity. It has over 20 legs. The centipedes mostly eat invertebrates but have been known to eat small vertebrates, including rodents, snakes and toads. They can capture flying insects out of the air.

The redheaded centipede has fang-like front legs that can grasp or pinch predators. The centipede can use these "fangs" to deliver a toxin to its prey. It also has stinger-like legs located at its rear end.

The article in Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine tells a legend of a Civil War soldier who was killed by a giant redheaded centipede that crawled over his chest and bit him. However, this legend is likely false. Most bites from the centipede cause pain and swelling but only result in skin necrosis in rare cases. You don't want to be bitten by one but they are not considered deadly to humans.

The centipedes are usually found under logs, rocks or leaves but the magazine warns the large centipedes do "occasionally enter houses." In addition to Texas, the large centipede can also be found in New Mexico, Arizona and Missouri in the U.S. It also lives in northern Mexico.

Here is a video of a redheaded centipede crawling over some cinder blocks:

Photo: Texas Parks and Wildlife

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