GARDEN CENTIPEDE
(Scientific Name: Lithobius forficatus)
Researched and presented by: Heidi
Garden centipedes are cold-blooded invertebrates and arthropods. They have an
exoskeleton. Garden centipedes have a reddish-brown, flattened body with many
segments and legs. Each segment has 2 legs to help them scuttle swiftly. Fully
grown garden centipedes have 30 legs. They have extra long hind legs used to
squeeze their prey. If it has less legs, it means it is not fully grown. Its name means
“hundred legs,” but they really do not have that many legs. They have tiny holes on
the sides of their body segments used for breathing. Their heads are equipped
with 2 long antennas and venomous claws right behind their heads used to attack
prey. Their venom paralyzes their prey.
QUICK STATS:
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HABITAT:
‣ North America
Length - 1 to 2 inches
‣ Forests, grasslands, gardens
Weight - less than 1 ounce
‣ Under rocks, logs, leaves, bark, Speed - over 40 miles per hour
Predators - snakes, birds, shrews, moles
garden debris, or in your basement
‣ Dark, damp environments
LIFE CYCLE:
DIET:
‣ Lifespan - up to 6 years
‣ Females lay 10-60 eggs in soil
‣ Omnivore
‣ Insect larvae, spiders, earthworms,
plants
FUN FACTS:
‣ Gains new body segments and legs
when it molts (sheds its skin)
‣ Mostly nocturnal
‣ Bites to human are less painful than
bee sting
‣ Some centipedes are 1 foot long in
tropical regions
COMMUNICATION:
‣ Touch
‣ Smell