Peruvian Giant Yellow-Leg Centipede

The Peruvian Giant Yellow-Leg Centipede is the largest centipede in the world, the Scolopendra gigantea, also known as giant centipede of the Amazon. Its average size is about 25 centimeters long, but can reach 30. They inhabit a large area of South America, and the islands of Trinidad, Jamaica and Santo Domingo.

The giant centipede of the Amazon is brown and has 46 yellow legs that allow it to move quickly and additionally climb. These poisonous centipedes sometimes consume large animals and are found in tropical forests, as well as on islands. While the bite of a giant Amazon Centipede can be dangerous, its venom is not lethal to the average adult human being.

The Peruvian Giant Yellow-Leg Centipede is characterized by being carnivores. Do not panic, this animal does not eat people, but lizards, frogs, birds, mice and even bats, which usually catch in flight. They also eat tarantulas sometimes.

The immense amount of legs that you have allows you to move very quickly. In the head, they have two curved claws that can inject a deadly poison into their victims. The poison is very powerful if they bite a human can cause swelling, chills, fever, and weakness. But even though it is very painful, it is not deadly on its own.

The most potent of centipede poisons contains acetylcholine, histamine, and serotonin. In some species, the following elements are also present: hydroxytryptamine, hemolytic phospholipase, and a cardiotoxic protein. The Peruvian Giant Yellow-Leg Centipede has pincers, which are modified legs called forcípulas that curve under his head and can inoculate venom into his prey.

The Peruvian Giant Yellow-Leg Centipede Relationship With Humans

The Peruvian Giant Yellow-Leg Centipede poison is powerful and is toxic to humans causing severe inflammation, chills, fever, and weakness. However, despite being painful, their bites are rarely fatal to humans. In Venezuela, the death of a child has been documented due to its bite.

The Peruvian Giant Yellow-Leg Centipede is kept as a pet among arthropod enthusiasts, but it always requires handling with protective equipment, since even a trace of the poison when it comes in contact with the skin can cause a reaction.

Peruvian Giant Yellow-Leg Centipedes Don’t Bite With Legs

Many people believe that centipedes bite with hind legs because when they are cornered, they lift the back of the body and show the long, pointed last pair of legs. But the danger is at the opposite end, just behind the head, where the first pair of legs has become a powerful pair of fangs or claws. Within each fang, there is a gland that secretes a potent neurotoxin.

When the centipede bites, its fangs penetrate the body of the prey, the muscles surrounding the glands contract and the venom is expelled through a channel that ends near the tip of the tusk. The dam is quickly paralyzed, it has no escape. Centipede bites were common when most of our population lived in wooden houses. They arrived hidden in a sack of yautias or a bunch of bananas and hid among the floorboards or the walls.

The painful encounter happened when someone stepped barefoot on the animal or put on a pair of pants inside which was the hidden arthropod. All centipedes produce the poison with which they subdue their prey. However, centipede bites are usually more painful for humans than dangerous.

Centipedes have maxillipeds, a pair of modified front legs that curve around the head and behind the jaws. Maxillipeds penetrate the victim's tissues and inject venom produced by a gland at its base. Maxillipeds of small centipedes are too weak to penetrate human skin, and their bite usually leaves only slight discomfort, similar to that caused by a bee sting.

Peruvian Giant Yellow-Leg Centipedes Show Parental Care

Peruvian Giant Yellow-Leg Centipedes exhibit parental care, guarding and tending their nests of eggs. Juveniles are very dark-red or black, and very thin with large spherical redheads. Peruvian molt numerous times before getting or maybe reaching adult size.

Feeding

Centipedes are predatory animals, which hunt mostly insects, spiders, and scorpions. However, Peruvian Giant Yellow-Leg Centipedes can also hunt much larger animals, such as lizards, toads, small snakes, birds, bats, rodents or mice. Through the mouthpieces of the chewing type, the centipedes crush the food until all the prey is eaten, its agility and rapidity and its powerful poison make the scolopendra effective hunter.

Poison

Peruvian Giant Yellow-Leg Centipedes have pincers, which are modified legs called forcípulas that curve around his head and can inoculate poison into his prey. With the poison, they catch their prey and defend themselves from predators. However, despite being painful, their bites are rarely fatal to humans.

People with some other insect allergies must watch their very own symptoms so intimately in the case of the centipede bite. Further than the initial pain induced by centipede attack, some other possible side effects consist of drastic swelling, chills, also fever, and also a strenge weakness. If perhaps there is a harsh allergic reaction, very fast medical solutions should be sought immediately.

The Peruvian Giant Centipede Proper Care

Peruvian Giant Centipedes will not attempt to escape from the container while the cover is removed as fast as some other species normally would. Proper care nevertheless must be observed while feeding, misting, or perhaps some other activity in which you need to have the cover off! Peruvian Giant Centipedes are pretty decent escape artists; as a result, make certain the container is tall as well as escape-proof.

These breeds will not necessitate a place to hide. Thus, it will be possible to view your very own centipede any time you look into the terrarium, thereby making it a really good display creature!

Conclusion

Finally, Infants Peruvian could live in a spacious, clear plastic tank with air holes. Adults can certainly reside in a ten to 15-gallon tank. The container must be two times as long, and also at least as broad as the individual. In summary, the Peruvian Giant Centipede is definitely large, swift, aggressive, and then eye-appealing show creature for almost any collection!