Odd News

Internet’s Latest Creepy Crawlie: Texas Redheaded Centipede

Internet’s Latest Creepy Crawlie: Texas Redheaded Centipede

A photo of a giant centipede in Texas is the latest creepy crawlie to find its way onto social media news feeds around the internet.

Sponsored Links

Texas Redheaded Centipede

The image of a Texas redheaded centipede, or Scolopendra heros, was posted online in July 2015 by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Facebook page. It shows a massive black centipede crawling on a broom. This centipede is also referred to as a Giant Redheaded Centipede or the Giant Desert Centipede (although this seems to be an inaccurate description as they are most commonly found in wooded areas).

texas redheaded centipede

These centipedes average 6.5 inches in length, but can reach 8 inches or longer and have 21 or 23 pairs of legs. They are known to prey on invertebrates and small lizards, snakes, or rodents and can catch flying insects out of the air.

The University of Arkansas describes this species as “among the largest of the many-legged centipedes and millipedes, the group collectively known as the Myriapoda.” It also points out that specimens are often found in Arkansas, southern Missouri, Louisiana, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and northern Mexico.

All of the centipede’s legs are able to pierce skin and deliver venom, especially a modified set of legs which acts as fangs. Against humans, the centipede can cause pain and swelling which typically only lasts a few hours.

Summary

An image of a Giant “Texas” Redheaded Centipede shows an example of one of the world’s largest centipedes. The photo has received heavy social media sharing and has been reported by media such as UPI.

Which do you think is creepier: This centipede, or the recently rediscovered Tree Lobster?

Everyone either loves or hates creepy crawlies. Which of these do you think is the creepiest? in Polls on LockerDome
Sponsored links
Click to add a comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Odd News

More in Odd News

  • Seth MacFarlane Missed a Doomed 9/11 Flight

    Seth MacFarlane narrowly avoided death when he missed Flight 11 on September 11, 2001. Today we take a closer look at his brush with death. Sponsored links

  • 1990s Odd News: “Too Cool to do Drugs” Pencils

    Pencils produced in the 1990s with the anti-drug slogan “Too Cool to Do Drugs” were recalled because, when sharpened, they read “Do Drugs.” Sponsored links

  • About That “To All You Hunters” Newspaper Clipping

    A newspaper clipping has circulated online for years which highlights a statement which begins, “To all you hunters who kill animals for food…” Today we look at the origins of this clipping. Sponsored Links

  • City Council: Library Cat Is Evicted From Home Of Six Years

    A Texas library’s resident cat must get a new home after a city council in voted to evict it. The mayor claims a spiteful city worker is the reason for the eviction. Sponsored links

  • British Firm Creates Putrid Comet-Smelling Perfume

    A British firm has developed a perfume that replicates the smell of a comet’s surface. Sponsored Links

  • Man Uses Same Numbers To Win Lottery Twice

    A Matteson, Ill. resident has won the state’s lottery for a second time, using the same numbers he used when he won years ago. Sponsored links

  • Terraced Hills of Vietnam

    Internet “Fact” and “Earth” pages often circulate incredible images showing terraced hills in Vietnam. Are these images real or fake? Sponsored links

  • Company Offers “Cloud Making Service”

    A small Cambodian company has received attention from internet viewers via a series of videos showing their “cloud” making machine. Sponsored links

Celebrating the weird and fake since 2008.

Copyright © 2008-2016 Wafflesatnoon.com, Inc. Theme by MVP Themes, powered by Wordpress.