Centipedes

(Class: Chilopoda)

These predatory terrestrial invertebrates have up to 177 flattened body segments, most of which have a single pair of legs. The first body segment has a pair of large venomous fangs (forcipules), used for hunting, which are a modified pair of legs. Centipedes lay eggs, and the young, although much smaller, resemble the adults after hatching. There is a single record of a fatal bite from a Scolopendra sp to a child in the Philippines. In Australia, centipedes can give an extremely painful bite, usually without long-lasting systemic effects.

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