Huge Bug Killed Mouse, what is it?
September 30, 2009
We found this when we were checking our mouse traps yesterday. As you will notice, it is about the same length of the mouse and its thorax (don’t no if I am using this correctly, but the width of its body not including the legs) was as wide as a pencil. The mouse trap is still set, but the mouse is dead, presumably at the hands of the creature seen next to it, therefore, it is possibly posionous as well. Can you help us figure out what this is, and is it dangerous. P.S. Our house has many small centipide looking things, at the absolute biggest they are 2 inches, but very narrow, could this just be a mutated version of those?
Person who lives in the basement with this thing
Basement
House Centipede eats Mouse
Dear Person who lives in the basement,
WE are enthralled with your image of a House Centipede with a mouse. Though we have not heard of House Centipedes preying upon small mammals, your photo would indicate that this is a possibility. House Centipedes do have venom, but they are not dangerous to humans.
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I have to admit that the house centipede gives me the creeps. It is the one insect that I allow my husband to kill in the house….others get the catch and release treatment. I beg to differ about the venom being harmless. I stepped on one by accident and it burned my bare foot! ICK!
Dear kristi,
Thank you for your frank email and your first hand experience. We should possibly modify our opinion of the House Centipede. We would still never kill one. They are magnificent predators who have no desire to bite humans, though desire might be too anthropomorphized a word to use on a House Centipede. Like many spiders that are considered harmless, not because they are without venom because all spiders are venomous, and not because they cannot bite humans, but because they very rarely bite humans. The bottom line on venom is that we personally believe that different people with different sensitivities (or possibly allergies) and that they may react differently to venom, including that of the House Centipede.
I have several house centipedes living in our house. I consider them our first line of defense against insect pests…I never thought they might help against mice too! They never bother us. They just run across the floor from time to time and when we find one in the bathtub, we carefully catch them in a big glass and release outside. They are very fragile creatures… doesn’t take much to kill them.
Thanks for sending in your observations. As you indicate, House Centipedes are no match for humans who want to dispatch them.