Wandering Leg Sausage

Crurifarcimen vagans

Today's animal has to have one of the best common names I've ever seen... or at least the most amusing. The Wandering Leg Sausage is a species that was only recently discovered in 2012, and it looks very much like the name it has been given.

Even its scientific name, Crurifarcimen vagans, translates to Sausage Leg that Wanders. It's it's not really a surprise why-- these large African Millipedes measure about 1.5cm in diameter and grow to lengths of up to 15in!

Despite their size, they are still not match far the Giant African Millipede, but they give them a run for their money. You'll find the Wandering Leg Sausages, as well as many, many other species, in Tanzania's Eastern Arc Mountains.

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IUCN Status : Not Listed
Location : Africa
Size : Body Length around 15in (38cm)

Classification : Phylum : Arthropoda -- Subphylum : Myriapoda -- Class : Diplopoda
Genus : Crurifarcimen -- Species : C. vagans

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Yellow-spotted Millipede

Harpaphe haydeniana

Not all Millipedes are gigantic like the big, 15in long African Millipedes. Today's animal is one of those Myriapods on the smaller side of the scale-- it doesn't get much bigger than 2in long!

The Yellow-spotted Millipede is found along the Pacific coast of North America. They are very important members of their ecosystem, as they help to break up leave litter and release nutrients.

As adults, have these Millipedes have predominantly black bodies with yellow patches that run along the sides. When full grown they have 20 body segments. Females have 31 pairs of legs, while males only have 30. The difference in number has to do with the placement of the males' reproductive organs.

Did you know that Yellow-spotted Millipedes have very few predators? Though they live in an area with lots of invertebrate-eating creatures, they remain very safe. This is because they have the ability to secrete Hydrogen Cyanide! The species is sometimes called the Almond-scented Millipede, due to Cyanide's almond-like smell.

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IUCN Status : Not Listed
Location : Western North America
Size : Length up to 2in (5cm)

Classification : Phylum : Arthropoda -- Superclass : Myriapoda -- Class : Diplopoda
Order : Polydesmida -- Family : Xystodesmidae -- Genus : Harpaphe -- Species : H. haydeniana

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Amazonian Giant Centipede

Scolopendra gigantea

It may not be obvious from the picture, but today's animal is an absolutely massive Centipede. It can grow to be a foot long!

Amazonian Giant Centipedes can be found in locations outside the Amazon- they live throughout northern South America, as well as on several different Caribbean Islands. These Centipedes have around 23 different red body segments, each with a pair of yellow-ish legs. They use all those legs to move about quickly, but also to hold on to their prey.

And what, you may ask, does a Centipede this large eat? Well, they do munch on small insects, but they can also go after birds, mice, lizards, frogs, and even bats! Amazonian Giant Centipedes are venomous, and they use that toxin to subdue prey. The venom is even strong enough to do serious damage to humans, so watch out!

Despite their toxicity, Amazonian Giant Centipedes are a welcome addition to farms and gardens, as they keep the damaging insect populations at bay with their voracious appetites.

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IUCN Status : Not Listed
Location : South America and Caribbean Islands
Size : Length up to 1ft (30cm)

Classification : Phylum : Arthropoda -- Subphylum : Myriapoda -- Class : Chilopoda
Order : Scolopendromorpha -- Family : Scolopendridae -- Genus : Scolopendra -- Species : S. gigantea

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Brown Centipede

Brown Centipede

Phylum : Arthropoda
Subphylum : Myriapoda
Class : Chilopoda
Order : Lithobiomorpha
Family : Lithobiidae
Genus : Lithobius
Species : L. forficatus

Length : Up to 2in (5cm)

IUCN Status : Not Listed

The Brown Centipede is a very common species of Myriapod that can be found most often in Europe, though their distribution extends outside that range.They are a reddish-brown color, have large antennae, and live in a variety of different habitats.

As adults, Brown Centipedes have 15 pairs of legs, giving them thirty overall. You can tell a juvenile from an adult by counting up the digits. Less than 30 legs means that it still has some growing to do. Brown centipedes are born with 7 pairs, and they have to molt their exoskeletons as they age. Each molt grants them a new set of legs!

Females have an interesting way of laying their eggs. They dig a hole and deposit one egg. Then they dig another hole for another single egg, and so on. Eggs are laid in summer, and Brown Centipedes can live as long as 6 years!

Brown Centipedes are nocturnal carnivores, and they have a couple of neat features that help them to hunt and devour prey. First off, they have two venomous claws they they use to paralyze their targets. Secondly, their back set of legs is much longer than any other set, which allows them to hold on to and carry around meals. Humans should not be fearful of Brown Centipedes. They may try and attack with the venom if threatened, but they rarely break skin. Even if they do, the injury is more mild then your average bee sting.

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Arthropleura

(Image Source)

Phylum : Arthropoda
Subphylum : Myriapoda
Class : Arthropleuridea
Order : Arthropleurida
Family : Arthropleuridae
Genus : Arthropleura

Length : Up to 8.5ft (2.6m)

Status : Extinct for about 280 million years!

Arthropleura lived in forests during the Carboniferous Period between 340-280 million years ago. At this time oxygen levels were much higher than they are now, which allowed for insects to reach much larger sizes. Another contribution to their hugeness was a lack of large vertebrate predators. Arthropleura had a long, flat, segmented body with as many as thirty sets of legs. They were distant relatives of the millipedes that we have today, and they have the designation of being the largest land invertebrates of all time!

We've found a whole mess of fossilized Arthropleura footprints, as well as many fossils of the animals themselves. Scientists aren't completely sure of Arthropleura's diet, since we don't have full jaws left to study, but it was most likely a herbivore based on plant materials found in coprolites (fossilized excrement).

Near the end of the Carboniferous Period the world began to dry out and the forested habitats of Arthropleura begin to shrink. This in turn caused a decrease of oxygen in the atmosphere, and Arthropleura could no longer maintain its large body size. They eventually died out, along with their entire Class. Other myriapods exist in their place today, though they are of minuscule size by comparison, with the largest measuring up to 1 ft (30cm).

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House Centipede

Inspired by a crisis at work involving one of these little friends, today I present the House Centipede. Though there are a few species who are commonly called the House Centipede, the most abundant of them is Scutigera coleoptrata. It was originally found only in the Mediterranean region, but not you can spot them worldwide. House Centipedes are not actually "insects." They belong to the Myriapoda subphylum, rather than Hexapoda, which houses the class Insecta.

Image from BugGuide

House Centipedes have 15 pairs of legs and can grow to about 2 inches in length. Their final pair of legs grows much longer than the rest. The Centipede's legs are vital for both movement (obviously) and hunting. they are very fast moving and are able to darts about on many kinds of surfaces, vertical or horizontal. They are able to consume multiple types of prey at a single time, and will hold additional meals within its legs. House Centipedes feed on insects and smaller arthropods, including flies, crickets and spiders.

House Centipedes live both indoors and out. Many people consider them to be pests and they are actually pretty hard to get rid of. They can live up to 7 years, and even if you lay out sticky traps, they can probably escape them. They will rip out the stuck leg... which can simply be regrown. House Centipedes are not dangerous to the average human. If they feel threatened they may bite, but the venom is very mild and will cause only a small bit of swelling.

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