Species group · Centipedes
Centipedes
WAnimals has 3 species of centipede, spread across 2 families (Lithobiidae, Scolopendridae).
- 3 species
- 2 families
- 70 countries
- 113 parks
- Length
- 0.4 cm – 30 cm
- Lifespan
- 6 – 8 years
Ranges calculated from the profiles that record the figure, not from all 3.
All 3 species of centipedes on WAnimals
Each one has its own full profile. This group does not replace them: it brings them together.
Conservation status
3 Not Evaluated
No species documented in this group is genuinely at risk according to the IUCN, with the data available today.
Where they live
Recorded in 70 countries. The ones with the most species in the group:
Where to see them
- Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise1 species
- Aeolian Islands1 species
- Aiako Harria1 species
- Aiguestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici1 species
- Aizkorri-Aratz1 species
- Al Hoceima1 species
- Albufera de Valencia1 species
- Alonissos and the Northern Sporades1 species
- Alonissos Marine Park1 species
- Alta Murgia1 species
- Alto Purús1 species
- Amacayacu1 species
Did you know…?
Its name means literally "life among the stones", from the Greek lithos, stone, and bios, life.
From Brown Centipede
It is identified by its reaction on being uncovered: it dashes for cover at full speed, far faster than other large Lithobius.
From Brown Centipede
Its bite can barely pierce human skin, but its venomous forcipules are highly effective against spiders, slugs, worms and flies.
From Brown Centipede
It eats large arthropods, spiders, amphibians, lizards and occasionally small mammals such as bats.
The mother actively tends her young for about three months after they hatch, coiling her body around them.
It can reach 28 to 30 cm long, making it the largest centipede in the world.
It is one of the largest centipedes in Europe, and its bite, though painful, is rarely a serious risk to a healthy adult.
Its forcipules are not jaws: they are the first pair of legs turned into venomous fangs, a feature unique to centipedes.