Transcript:

Today on animal fact files we're talking about house centipedes. Be sure to creep over the subscribe button, and thank you to Jono Martin for today's request. Now, I’m going to be up front and honest and say these animals are creatures of my nightmares, so I get feeling the creepy vibe they give off; however, after learning more about them, just like the wasps, I’ve come to the conclusion that they’re not as bad as their rippling, spindly, leggy, down-right otherworldly appearance may suggest.

The common name “house centipede” actually applies to many species. While people in Britain may be familiar with one species, those living in Australia may be familiar with another, though they all have that so leggy they almost look fuzzy appearance. According to fossil records, these may be some of the oldest centipedes, and they can be found worldwide in tropical and temperate locations. House centipedes are generally ground dwelling arthropods who like to live in leaf litter, under logs, in cracks and crevices, and other dark, wet places. They’re more active at night, and this tends to be the time they’re seen in households.

House centipedes wouldn’t have a name like “house” centipede without reason (though I fully admit we’ve covered some less than appropriate common names on this show). The name comes from their appearing in our own homes. Now I get when I say house centipedes are actually beneficial that doesn’t change the fact that when you see one running full speed across your wall your reaction is going to be to run and never look back, but the truth is that house centipedes are kind of awesome. That whole running at full speed thing? Yeah, they’re the fastest centipedes scientists know of. Their legs, eyes, and breathing structures are specifically designed for this purpose. At full sprint, house centipedes can cover more than a foot (30.5 centimeters) in the span of a second. And though it might seem counterintuitive to say it, this trait is actually beneficial to us.

House centipedes hunt other arthropods, some of which may be quite harmful to humans. Those silverfish many of you have mentioned you dislike so much - house centipedes eat them. They’ll also eat bedbugs, and cockroaches, fly larvae, and other creepy crawlies we might be more comfortable seeing but who could hurt us a lot more than a harmless house centipede. Whoa, whoa, hold the phone, you’re saying these Tindalos doorway lurkers are actually harmless? Well, yeah pretty much. Technically the front legs on house centipedes are modified to act kind of like fangs which can inject venom into a victim, but usually human skin is too thick for these to penetrate. And, even when our skin isn’t too thick, (which ain’t a problem for YouTubers), a sting from a house centipede is typically described as no worse than a bee sting, though, that’s… still not exactly a fun time. On the other hand, house centipedes are quite fragile. When up against predators such as birds, small mammals, reptiles, and humans looking for a fight, house centipede legs can just fall right off. Normally that have fifteen pairs of legs including the modified claws, but it’s not uncommon to see them with fewer than this.

When they aren’t scaring the crap out of everyone around or seeking out a meal, house centipedes will groom themselves. Yes, much like Chester these arthropods take self baths. House centipedes are also gentle in their mating habits and will caress the antennae of their partner. After mating, females will lay anywhere from 30 to 150 individual eggs in soil over the course of a few days to a few weeks. The babies will hatch within two to three week with some of their legs, but they’ll have to molt about six times before they obtain them all. At full size, house centipedes average an inch (2.54 centimeters) in body length, though some species can be three inches (7.62 centimeters) long. They may not begin reproducing until they’re three years old, and thus can live to be at least that age in the wild.

For more facts on house centipedes, check out the links in the description. Give a thumbs up if you learned something new today, and thank you for watching Animal Fact Files.