The House Centipede is Fast, Furious, and Just So Extra | Deep Look

CORRECTION, 9/26/2018: This episode of Deep Look contains an error in the scientific name of the house centipede. It is Scutigera coleoptrata, not coleoptera. We regret the error. The viewers who caught the mistake will receive a free Deep Look T-shirt, and our gratitude. Thanks for keeping tabs on us!

Voracious, venomous and hella leggy, house centipedes are masterful predators with a knack for fancy footwork. But not all their legs are made for walking, they put some to work in other surprising ways.

Recognizable for their striking (some might say, repulsive) starburst-like shape, house centipedes have far fewer than the 100 legs their name suggests. They’re born with a modest eight, a count that grows to 30 as they reach adulthood.

If 30 legs sound like more than one critter really needs – perhaps it is. Over the last 450 million years or so, when centipedes split off from other arthropods, evolution has turned some of those walking limbs into other useful and versatile tools.

When it hunts, for example, the house centipede uses its legs as a rope to restrain prey in a tactic called “lassoing.” The tip of each leg is so finely segmented and flexible that it can coil around its victim to prevent escape.

The centipede’s venom-injecting fangs, called forciples, are also modified legs. Though shorter and thicker than the walking limbs, they are multi-jointed , which makes them far more dexterous than the fangs of insects and spiders, which hinge in only one plane.

Because of this dexterity, the centipede’s forciples not only inject venom, but also hold prey in place while the centipede feeds. Then they take a turn as a grooming tool. The centipede passes its legs through the forciples to clean and lubricate their sensory hairs.

Scientists have long noticed that because of their length and the fact that the centipede holds them aloft when it walks, these back legs give the appearance of a second pair antennae. The house centipede looks like it has two heads.

In evolution, when an animal imitates itself, it’s called automimicry. Automimicry occurs in some fish, birds and butterflies, and usually serves to divert predators.

New research suggests that’s not the whole story with the house centipede. Electron microscopy conducted on the centipede’s legs has revealed as many sensory hairs, or sensilla, on them as on the antennae.

The presence of so many sensory hairs suggest the centipede’s long back legs are not merely dummies used in a defensive ploy, but serve a special function, possibly in mate selection. During courtship, both the male and female house centipede slowly raise and lower their antennae and back legs, followed by mutual tapping and probing.

--- Are house centipedes dangerous?

Though they do have venom, house centipedes don’t typically bite humans.

--- Where do house centipedes live?

House centipedes live anywhere where the humidity hovers around 90 percent. That means the moist places in the house: garages, bathrooms, basements. Sometimes their presence can indicate of a leaky roof or pipe.

--- Do house centipedes have 100 legs?

No. An adult house centipede has 30. Only one group of centipedes, called the soil centipedes, actually have a hundred legs or more.

---+ Read the entire article on KQED Science:

---+ For more information:

Visit the centipede page of the Natural History Museum, London:

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Funding for Deep Look is provided in part by PBS Digital Studios. Deep Look is a project of KQED Science, which is supported by the Templeton Religion Trust and the Templeton World Charity Foundation, the S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation, the Dirk and Charlene Kabcenell Foundation, the Vadasz Family Foundation, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the Fuhs Family Foundation Fund and the members of KQED.

[TheTinkili]

I always found them somewhat disgusting, but seeing its itty bitty face and how it grooms its legs makes it... Adorable 😳

[DrunkNotIAm]

I trust spiders more than these guys, at least we have an understanding. They operate in their web and do their thing instead of roaming around looking horrifying.

[morganmiller]

“Oh it doesn’t actually have 100 legs, most have less than 60”

Oh okay yeah that’s not that many

[ctopusCompetely]

"Most centipedes have less than 60 legs."
That's roughly 60 more legs than I would like them to have, thank you.

[Pete]

I've learned to co-exist with these guys. They are always in my mancave and I give up trying to get rid of them. They hunt bugs and spiders so they aren't all bad. When I see one we kinda lock eyes, make an uneasy truce with eachother, and then I look away and a few seconds later I look back and it's gone.

[acatreassuresyouthateveryt]

evolution : "okay you have enough exp to upgrade your species. What do you want to do with it?"
centipede : "more legs"
evolution : "sir your species already have 20 legs..."
centipede : "MORE LEGS"

[francescoaseiceschino]

Just saw one in my bedroom, third video that I’m a watching to understand the enemy i’m facing

[rcdr]

It must be so weird to wake up with a new leg. Like what tf do I do with it

[hannersification]

I've killed one last week because I'm really scared of them but I've felt guilty ever since and I've been trying to learn more about them to battle the fear. I swore I'll never kill another one! They're actually amazing creatures

[diegokurokun]

I really like these fluffy guys. They eat everything in the house including spiders. And I find them very polite. I opened the front door to one and told him to please go outside and he did.

[bhocolate]

My bedroom: Exist
House centipedes: *"Allow us to introduce ourselves!"*

[travelandfestivals]

"Rarely bite people", so you are telling me there is a chance? *burns house*

[anachoretix]

The miracle of consciousness is astonishing. Such a small creature, so aware of its body, grooming it carefully. And the antenae allows them to feel their surroundings. I am so amazed at how such tiny creatures have such a developed awareness. Once, in the tropical forest of Guyana, I saw a spider of 1 milimeter length sitting in the middle of its fifteen centimeter wide web, this web was 150 times wider than the spider. It was fascinating to ponder on how much spatial awareness such a little creature had.

[Kakuer]

I always just called these things "voidling creatures" or "creatures of the void". The first time I saw one I freaked out not knowing what it was and then I tried to kill it and it ran and hid behind a little step stool and completely vanished from existence. I could not find it no matter how hard I looked. I figured it just teleported back to the void dimension it came from lol.

[mizuhonova]

Anyone else felt increasingly itchy watching this?

[hanijjang]

"that phantom tickle at the back of your neck?"

me: **suddenly feels something crawling**

[bananaflask]

To be fair, ever since I’ve seen a House Centipede, I’ve never seen a cockroach or fly.
They are pretty good Natural Exterminators.

[ayelmao]

Cockroach: "What are you!?"
House Centipede: "I'm you, but faster"

[wargreymon]

"kinda like cat"
You sleep with your centipede, I keep my cat.

[whaleshark]

Spiders don’t scare me, but these do! Thank you for the increased understanding, but they still freak me out. They are amazing!