Indonesian Centipede
Hi Bugman!
My daughter Alexa and I live in Kona, Hawaii where we get a fair number of these giant centipedes. You’ve already got some great pictures on your site of these, (Indonesian centipede, right?) but none of them truly capture the size of these critters. We have been waiting months to try to get a good picture of one of these guys, but they never seem to cooperate. Finally, this big one came wandering into our garage. Alexa (age 6) carefully put her plastic sand bucket over him while I ran and got our camera and a tape measure. To our mutual surprise, when we took off the bucket the centipede did not move and allowed me to take his picture several times. If you really stretched him out, I think he’s pushing 7 inches from antenae to rear legs. I know these centipedes can give you one hell of a bite, (the pain is supposed to last a couple of days) but they are really non-aggressive. I’ve had one stroll accross my bare foot. Plus, don’t these things eat cockroaches? Anyway, keep up the great work!
Jeff Lanterman

Hi Jeff,
We really want to thank you and your bug wrangler Alexa for supplying us with these wonderful photos. Yes, Tropical Centipedes do eat cockroaches.

Here’s a beauty..
Took hours of taxonomical research, but I’m so impressed by this guy it was worth it..just wanted to share this beautiful creature..
Dana

Hi Dana,
We wish you would have shared the results of your research with us, or at least provided us a location.

Oops. I sent you a pic just now and forgot to tell you that it is a Scolopendra alternans, 9 inches long. Crawled out of my bag in Key Largo. Sure! Just didn’t want to send all that if you didn’t use it. This is a Scolopendra alternans. It’s a beautiful specimen, being a full 9 inches long. He crawled out of my carryall bag after I’d played a band gig at an older wooden building in the Florida Keys. Some species of Scolopendra are hard to I.D. due to the many color variations (brown or gray based) but I finally narrowed this one to S. Alternans from the North Carolina Museum of Natural Science website. (Leach, 1815): “The distribution of S. Alternans in the contiguous U.S. is limited specifically to Monroe, Collier, and Dade counties in the state of Florida.” I live in Monroe county, and after much research found 2 other I.D. requests for this animal online–both from Key Largo. After taking a few photos, I set him free in the woods across the street. Hope you enjoy his unique beauty as much as I did!
D. Armenta

giant centipede
Thankyou for your wonderful website! We were able to indentify this beautiful giant centipede we found outside our front door yesterday. It was approx 5 1/2 " long! We managed to put it in a cup and move it safely, away from our house. Giant redheaded centipede, Order: Scolopendromorpha, Family: Scolopendridae, Genus and species: Scolopendra heros Girard.
Melissa

Hi Melissa,
Thanks for the image and information. We wish you had provided us with a location, but we are guessing it is probably Oklahoma or Texas.

eek, a bug!
Hello bugman,
My name is Jessica. Attached, you will find an image of a bug that i’ve unfortunately encountered many a time since moving into my apartment. The maintenance folks here at the complex have told me it’s a centipede, but i don’t buy that. I’ve googled every possile description of the thing that i could concoct, to no avail. However, with much luck I did stumble upon your site. In the photo, the little guy is missing some legs. I tried for a live shot, but these things are quick! I live in Irvine, California and have been told that my monstrous friends come from underground. Also, rumor has it they have a “nasty bite.” So, dear bugman, I am desperately curious. Can you tell me who this mystery bug is? Sincerely,
Jessica

Hi Jessica,
If you had just believed the maintenance folk and typed “Centipede” into your search engine, you might have gotten your answer. When we tried that tactic, the first site that came up was devoted to the House Centipede, your creature. Perhaps your perspective on the House Centipede was different than ours, hence your lack of googling success. Perhaps your description was something akin to “flying purple people eater” or maybe “sea monster from the depths” and that led you astray. We tried “insect many legs fast” (even though the House Centipede is not an insect) and were led to several sites with the correct answer, including our own Centipede page. All we can advise in the future is for you to choose your descriptive words carefully and accurately. Mastering search engines is a wonderful talent, and we can’t imagine how today’s students could complete research papers without the talent now that classics like Encyclopedia Britannica are no longer readily available in homes. House Centipedes are harmless predators, and the poor arthropod did not warrant your wrath. There was no need for such Unnecessary Carnage.

Vying for the Newest Best House Centipede Photo Award
I have always wondered what this was, and I have found your website to be quite helpful. I think this photo may be the best yet!
Cindy

Hi Cindy,
There isn’t really a prize, just the recognition. Additionally, we keep House Centipede images on our homepage at all times, so yours might remain for months. It really is a prize shot.

House Centipede (2 close up photos)
I didn’t stumble upon your site until I figured out what this thing was. Regardless, I thought the close ups would be a nice addition to your collection. I find them on my floor or in my bathroom. I’m on the bottom floor of a townhouse so it makes sense. Enjoy.
Sean

Hi Sean,
We do like to change the House Centipede image we run on our homepage regularly, and your photos are very nice. We like to keep an image of this harmless and highly beneficial species on our homepage to warn people not to kill them unnecessarily.