Giant Centipede

There are predators, and then there are PREDATORS. This Giant Centipede is of the caps lock variety. In fact, it's the one little animal I check my boots for, every morning. It never really occurred to me to also check my pool ... but that's where this unfortunate fellow was ... gently swaying on the bottom and sadly, quite dead, but a little startling to say the least.

Anyway, It seemed too good an opportunity to miss, so after fishing him out, I took some snaps to share with you.

Ethmostigmus rubripes?

It may look a little intimidating, but this end isn't the one to be concerned about

A 19th-century Tibetan poet warned his fellow Buddhists, "If you enjoy frightening others, you will be reborn as a centipede"

An almost alien appearance, don't you think?

Forcipules (sharp bits) and associated venom glands

Showing scale

These mighty little warriors pack quite the punch - with people reporting extreme pain lasting for days as a result of the centipedes bite.

This one, while large, is certainly not the largest I have come across, and they can reach lengths in Au of over 160 mm in length. Interestingly, all the specimens I have seen, Inc one in N.W QLD all have blue legs ... while most of the descriptions I have read regarding them say that the legs will be yellow/orange.

Maybe a subspecies? ...

Still, an extremely interesting find, eh? ... now, where are my boots ...?

Take care