These limbs, or forcipules, end in sharp claws and include venom glands that help the animal to kill or paralyze its prey. The first pair of limbs stretch forward from the body over the mouth. The first pair of maxillae form the lower lip, and bear short palps. They have a pair of elongated mandibles, and two pairs of maxillae. Accordingly, they avoid direct sunlight by staying under cover or by being active at night.Ĭentipedes have a rounded or flattened head, bearing a pair of antennae at the forward margin. Within these habitats, centipedes require a moist microhabitat because they lack the waxy cuticle of insects and arachnids, therefore causing them to rapidly lose water. They have a wide geographical range, which can be found in terrestrial habitats from tropical rainforests to deserts. Despite the name, no centipede has exactly 100 pairs of legs number of legs ranges from 15 pairs to 191 pairs, always an odd number.Ĭentipedes are predominantly generalist carnivorous, hunting for a variety of prey items that can be overpowered. All centipedes are venomous and can inflict painful stings, injecting their venom through pincer-like appendages known as forcipules or toxicognaths, which are actually modified legs instead of fangs. Centipedes are elongated segmented ( metameric) creatures with one pair of legs per body segment. Various centipedes (clockwise from top left): Thereuopoda clunifera, a Scutigeromorph Lithobius forficatus, a Lithobiomorph Geophilus, a Geophilomorph and Scolopendra cataracta, a ScolopendromorphĬentipedes (from Neo-Latin centi-, 'hundred', and Latin pes, pedis, ' foot') are predatory arthropods belonging to the class Chilopoda ( Ancient Greek χεῖλος, kheilos, lip, and Neo-Latin suffix -poda, 'foot', describing the forcipules) of the subphylum Myriapoda, an arthropod group which includes millipedes and other multi-legged animals.

Predator vs prey animal pairs