Horror reports of poisonous millipedes and centipedes appear in the media with great regularity. It is then also happily rumored that the bite of the animals can be fatal to humans. As a rule, however, there is little to such reports in this country. Although the centipedes are actually poisonous, at least in theory, they can hardly kill a healthy person. Quite apart from the fact that the dangerous species do not occur here with us.
Are centipedes poisonous?
Centipedes, whose Latin name is Myriapoda, are a subphylum of the so-called arthropods. They can be found in different forms almost all over the world. There are around 10,000 different species in total, some of them in very different sizes. They exist both as pure herbivores and as hunters who eat animal prey. Some species are poisonous, but most are not. In principle, there are no poisonous centipedes at all in northern Europe.
In southern Europe, such as in Spain, on the other hand, things are quite different. There are actually species there that can secrete poison through a secretion. If smaller animals come into contact with it, it can be fatal for them. For healthy people, however, there is no danger to life. However, contact can cause extremely painful skin irritation.
notice: Even if these animals are said to have 1,000 feet, they usually only have a maximum of three digits of legs. The most common are the species with a two-digit number.
Are centipedes poisonous?
The Latin term Chilopoda refers to the so-called centipedes. In the zoological systematics they are part of the centipedes. There are about 3,000 species of them worldwide. They have a body length that ranges between one and ten centimeters. However, the scolopender, which is only native to the tropics, can also reach a length of up to 30 centimeters. Virtually all centipedes are poisonous. They hunt for prey at night. In doing so, they follow the animal they have spied out and, if the opportunity arises, bite into it in a flash. A poison is injected with the bite, which sooner or later leads to the death of the prey. The body size of the possible prey animals can exceed that of the centipedes many times over.
notice: Even if you don't see it at first glance, centipedes can reach extremely high speeds. They are also able to turn at lightning speed.
scolopender
When fatal encounters with a centipede are reported in the media, it usually involves contact with a scolopendus. Although only two cases have been documented worldwide in which people died from a scolopendid bite, they are actually among the most poisonous animals of all. Depending on the species, the poison can have the following ingredients:
- acetylcholi
- serotonin
- histamine
- hydrogen cyanide
With this mixture, the scolopender also kills mice, rats, smaller monkeys and other mammals. In healthy people, there is usually no danger to life. However, being bitten is extremely painful and can also cause serious health problems. Typical body reactions are:
- swelling of the bite sites
- severe pain radiating throughout the body
- nausea
- dizziness
- Numbness at the bite site
- breathing problems
- cardiac arrhythmias
Scolopender species are extremely aggressive. They react angrily to disturbances and immediately go on the attack. Any contact with them should therefore be avoided. After a bite, you need to see a doctor immediately. Fortunately, there are now a number of antidotes that neutralize the effects of the poison.
behavior
Once again: Poisonous centipedes do not occur in nature in our latitudes. The dreaded scolopender could hardly survive under the northern European weather conditions. However, centipedes are relatively popular terrarium animals. If one of them manages to escape in the summer, they also pose a danger to people, at least in theory. If you come across one of them somewhere, you should keep a relatively large safety distance if possible. Under no circumstances should such an animal be touched. It's also not a good idea to hit the animal with a stick or anything like that. In the case of larger specimens, the fire brigade should be notified in order to safely capture the creature. It is strongly discouraged to try to catch one yourself.
danger situation
Since centipedes, which are poisonous, do not occur in nature, there is no acute danger. Most of the ones we encounter are completely harmless and extremely useful for biological balance. Consequently, there is absolutely no need to panic. One should therefore not be intimidated by media reports in which attacks by a scolopender in particular are mentioned. Being bitten by a scolopender in Northern Europe is even less likely than winning the lottery.
Things are a bit different when traveling to southern Europe and especially to the tropics. Here the animals can actually pose a real threat. While it's not always a matter of life and death, physical contact with them can spoil your trip quite a bit. Therefore, the safety instructions of the tour operator must be observed. It is best to avoid these fascinating animals. They might actually be poisonous.
