Animal-World > Reptiles - Amphibians > Centipedes > Giant Desert Centipede

Giant Desert Centipede

Giant Sonoran Centipede, Giant North American Centipede

Family: ScolopendridaeGiant Arizona Desert Centipede or Giant Black-headed CentipedeScolopendra herosPhoto Courtesy: David Brough

The Giant Desert Centipede is quite attractive, but it has a very unattractive bite!

The Giant Desert Centipede Scolopendra heros is a large species of centipede found in North America. They average about 6.5 inches in length, but can reach up to 8". They are very colorful and many keepers believe they are one of the most beautiful of the centipede species. They are the prize of many collectors and make a wonderful showpiece in a display.

These desert centipedes range from the southwest United States to northern mexico. There are three subspecies of Giant Desert Centipede. They vary in coloration and distribution. Perhaps the most familiar is the Giant Red-headed Centipede Scolopendra h. castaneiceps , as pictured above. This species has a beautiful black body contrasted with a red head and yellow legs. The other two subspecies are quite attractive as well. The Giant Black-tailed Centipede (Blue-tailed Centipede) Scolopendra h. heros is all yellowish in color, but with a contrasting blue or dark blue, almost black tail. The Giant Arizona Desert Centipede (Black-headed Centipede) Scolopendra h. arizonensis has a black head and tail, contrasted with a red or dark orange body and yellow legs

The Giant Desert Centipedes are hardy and easy to keep. This is a relatively calm species of centipede and its venom is not considered deadly. It is handled by experienced keepers, but it can give a very painful bite. We do not recommend handling any centipedes.

Caution: The bite of all large centipedes are potentially medically serious, especially so to small children.

For more Information about centipede care, see:
Centipede and Millipede Care: Keeping Them as Pets

Scientific Name

Scolopendra heros
Subspecies:

• Giant Red-headed Centipede Scolopendra heros castaneiceps
• Giant Black-tailed Centipede, Blue-tailed Centipede Scolopendra heros heros
• Giant Arizona Desert Centipede, Giant Black-headed Centipede Scolopendra heros arizonensis

Habitat: Distribution/Background

The Giant Desert Centipede Scolopendra heros  was first described by Girard in 1853. The Giant Desert Centipede is found in the southern United States and in northern Mexico. Other common names this centipede is known by are Giant Sonoran Centipede and Giant North American Centipede. These are terrestrial invertebrates that live under stones and wood, in crevices, and in litter and soil. They will burrow some, staying underground on warm days and emerging in cloudy weather. They are carnivorous and feed on insects, lizards, frogs, and rodents in the wild..

Three subspecies were named by G. Attems in 1931. They are the Giant Red-headed Centipede Scolopendra h. castaneiceps , Giant Black-tailed Centipede, Blue-tailed Centipede Scolopendra h. heros , and the Giant Arizona Desert Centipede, Giant Black-headed Centipede Scolopendra h. arizonensis .

Status

The Scolopendra heros is not on the IUCN Red List for Endangered Species.

Description

The Giant Desert Centipedes have 26 to 30 segments (generally 26), and the first three to five segments are smooth. The head is finely punctuated with two faint sulci, or grooves. The first pair of legs have two tarsal spines and all of the rest have only one. They can reach 7 to 8" (18 - 20 cm) as adults. Descriptions of the three subspecies of Giant Desert Centipede:

Giant Black-tailed Centipede Photo Courtesy: David Brough

Giant Red-headed Centipede Photo Courtesy:
Bill Love/Blue Chameleon Ventures

• Giant Arizona Desert Centipede
  Giant Black-headed Centipede
  Scolopendra h. arizonensis
  (pictured above)
  This is a red or dark orange centipede with yellow legs and a black head and tail. It is found in Arizona and Mexico. Some of the Arizona specimens have black bands running across the tergites, parallel to the legs.
   
• Giant Black-tailed Centipede
  Blue-tailed Centipede
  Scolopendra h. heros
  This is a yellow centipede with light yellow legs and a medium to dark blue tail. It is found in New Mexico, east to Texas and northern Mexico.
   
• Giant Red-headed Centipede
  Scolopendra h. castaneiceps
  This is a jet black centipede with a red head and yellow legs. It is found in New Mexico across the southwestern United States and as far north as Kansas and east to Georgia..

Food and Feeding

Small juveniles will eat pinhead crickets or other small insects. As adults they will feed on prey that is not larger than themselves, including large crickets, cockroaches, and even pinky or fuzzy mice. It is generally suggested however, that you don't feed prey that is more than half the length of the centipede. Feed crickets and roaches once a week. Once a month feed a small pink mouse. Keep in mind that overfed invertebrates, and especially overfed centipedes, seem to die much sooner than those that are kept "lean and mean".

Housing

A large enclosure that offers plenty of floor space and a deep (4"+) substrate of damp sand and peat moss is ideal. This species will spend most of its time buried in the substrate with only the tips of the back legs or its antennae above ground. Also offer a few well-placed pieces of cork bark, bark, or a sturdy slate shelter to keep specimens settled.

Temperature and humidity requirements:

As typical of a desert species, the Giant Desert Centipede will do fine in the 80° to 85° F range and with a humidity of 50 to 65%. For more information on environment setup, see: Centipede and Millipede Care

Cage Care

A good habit to get into is cleaning up any uneaten prey items the day after feeding your centipede as decaying organic matter commonly attracts mites, fungus, mold and other potentially harmful organisms into the enclosure. If your pet has recently molted, remove uneaten prey items immediately. Newly molted centipedes are vulnerable until their exoskeletons hardens.

Behavior

When first introduce to its new enclosure, the centipede will often explore the entire area. But once settled in, it will spend most of its time buried in the substrate. All you will see are the tips of the back legs or its antennae above ground. Though they remain hidden by day, the enclosure can be fitted with a red or blue bulb to be turned on at night to watch the centipede foraging for prey and exploring its surrounding.

Handling

We do not recommend handling any centipedes. Despite photos of "daredevils" handling large specimens, all Scolopendra are capable of delivering a very painful venomous "pinch". Large specimens should be considered medically serious and some people with reactions to insect venom and those with small children should be very cautious when keeping large Scolopendra species.

Reproduction

There is no copulation for centipedes to reproduce. Rather centipede males deposit a spermatophore for the female to find and take up, which then fertilizes the eggs. For species In temperate areas eggs are laid in the spring and summer, but in subtropical and tropical areas they seem to be laid most anytime of year.

Diseases: Ailments/Treatments

Giant Desert Centipedes have relatively few common health issues as long as they are fed properly, housed in an escape proof enclosure with proper humidity levels, and the cage is kept free of decaying organic matter. Centipedes will feed on a variety of prey including grasshoppers, moths, worms, and even small vertebrate prey, but be cautious of any prey that is captured in nature as they may be carriers of internal parasites. Keep in mind that overfed invertebrates, and especially overfed centipedes, seem to die much sooner than those that are kept "lean and mean". Newly molted centipedes are vulnerable until its exoskeleton hardens, so should have uneaten prey removed immediately.

Availability

The Giant Desert Centipede is commonly available in the spring and summer from invertebrate collectors in the Southwestern United States. From these collectors they get spread to dealers throughout the country and they are usually inexpensive. They are hardy and easy to keep and will no doubt be captive-bred in the future.

References

• Animal-World Resources: Reptiles, Amphibians, and Land Invertebrates
• Orin McMonigle, Giant Centipedes: The Enthusiasts Handbook, Elytra & Antenna 2004
• C. Sandefer, The Giant Centipedes of the Genus Scolopendra, Privately published. Oklahoma City, OK.
• J. G. E. Lewis, The Biology of Centipedes, Cambridge University Press 1981
• J. L. Cloudsley-Thompson, Spiders, Scorpions, Centipedes, and Mites,.Pergamon Press 1968
• R. F. Lawrence, The Centipedes and Millipedes of Africa, A guide, A. A. Balkema Capetown, Rotterdam, 1984

Author: Russ Gurley, Clarice Brough CRS

Lastest Comments on Giant Desert Centipede View all 29 comments on Giant Desert Centipede Add Your Comment

glenn lamb - 2012-03-31 I found a navy blue centapeid with yellow marks on it sides. Anybody ever heard or seen one. In Oakland C.A. Reply

Ryan - 2010-04-29 I don't have time or room to go into detail about the article and comments left here, so I will have to keep it brief. These can inflict a serious bite, but only as a defensive mechanism, they aren't aggressive. They are good for your environment, and should be left alone outside if possible. However, they are dangerous to small dogs, elderly, and children. If you find one and are worried about bites, but do not want to kill it, catch it and email me and I will pick it up, and send it to a breeder, scientist, or zoo. They are sold in lps for less than $20, you could maybe sell them for $7. I cannot pay for them though. This is done as a hobby and I lose money on cages, shipping material, feeders, and gas. So if you want to save their life, I will take them, but I will not pay. The high price mentioned below is generally only gotten overseas where you are required to have thousands of dollars in permits to ship them, so they are not worth $75! You can get more than $7 if you are well known in the right circles and regularly frequent the right websites, but it is hobby, education, and research for most of us, so don't expect to get much for them. You can email me for pick up @ Nomadinexile@hushmail.com Ryan - 2010-05-10 There are a few color patterns worth a bit more. If you live around Medicine Lodge in Kansas, please contact me if you can find them, we can work something out. Also, I would be able to get a bit more for the red and black stripe form from Southeast corner of AZ, Northwest corner of NM. These are only found in the Peloncillo mountains and the Pedregosa mountains that I'm aware of. You can contact me for more information, but keep in mind, that you aren't going to get rich collecting centipedes! Reply

haylee - 2011-07-01 Oh and I live in AZ mesa. Reply

haylee - 2011-07-01 Hey I saw a orange centipede but it was a baby in our bathroom and we never saw a centipede in our house or anywhere before. It was all orange though. Can it be highly poisonous or poisonous at all??? Reply

mike - 2011-05-30 I found some huge insects in my pool. I live in upstate NY on the Hudson. They were black and brown in color and had pinchers. It had what looked like 3 section body head, mid and tale. It had 4 long legs and what looked like legs along the rest of it. It was like 3 in long anyone know what it is? Charlie Roche - 2011-05-30 I have no idea. In Florida, we had things that looked like a beetle with 3 parts to the body. They had a head, a mid section and a sorta triagular tail. There were two pincer things at the top of the head and four legs. They would dig holes into the soil and you'd have these little mounds all over. They came once a year in the summer and then they would just go away. People there just said they were beetles but sure didn't look like a regular beetle to me. Nuisance too with all the mounds. Reply

Jennifer - 2009-10-22 My husband found one of the red headed desert centipedes this morning curled up on our staircase in North West San Antonio. He actually thought our dog had an accident and when he went to clean it up, he noticed its red head and legs. It was still alive so we scooped it into a box and put it in our trash bin outside. Do these things like to come indoors? It was very rainy last night so maybe it was trying to stay dry? Are they poisonous to dogs? I'm so creeped out! zoey - 2010-05-22 They are poisonous to dogs humans etc. But are not deadly here's an ad I found The Giant Desert Centipede is one of the world's largest species of centipede, not to mention, one of the prettiest. Although the venom from this centipede is not considered deadly, the Giant Desert Centipede can give a very painful bite and the venom injected could leave a person in pain from anywhere between a couple hours to a couple days! In 1931, a centipede taxonomist by the name of G. Attems listed three subspecies of Giant Desert Centipedes. These are the: Red-Headed Centipede (Scolopendra h. castaneiceps); as shown to the left, a beautiful jet black centipede with a red head and yellow legs, the Black-Tailed, also known as the Blue-Tailed Centipede (Scolopendra h. heros); a yellowish centipede with light yellow legs and a blue to navy blue tail, and lastly the Giant Arizona Desert, or Black-Headed Centipede (Scolopendra h. arizonensis); a red or orange centipede with yellow legs and a black head and tail, some with black stripes running across the tergites, parallel to the legs. The Giant Desert Centipede is a great display animal, and is a prized invertebrate in any collection. Scott - 2010-06-08 Yeah, they're poisonous, I just got bit this morning in Oklahoma City at Lake Hefner. Had to go to the Dr. before anaphalactic shock set in(I might be allergic). Those suckers move very fast, crawled up my swim trunks while I was fishing, and bit me when I sat on it. too cute - 2011-02-11 Wow! How long was it? Reply

Add your comment!

View all 29 comments on Giant Desert Centipede

Back to Centipedes