The centipedes are some of the oldest terrestrial animals, and some of the very first creatures to crawl from the sea onto the land were probably very similar in appearance to modern centipedes. All centipedes are nocturnal predators which live by actively hunting down insects and other small animals. They are found mostly in tropical forests, but have also established themselves in temperate forests as well as deserts. Commonly called "hundred-leggers", most centipedes have between 15 and 30 pairs of legs, one pair on each body segment.

Some of the larger centipedes have life spans over 10 years. [4]

Centipedes and millipedes normally live outdoors, in moist places such as leaf litter, or under rocks and decaying wood. The house centipede, however, also lives indoors, especially in damp basements, bathrooms, or crawl and other excavated spaces under a house. They can move very quickly on their many legs, but they cause no damage to structures or their contents. They do not infest food or "eat books" as is commonly believed.

Centipedes are long-lived as arthropods go. House centipedes live, mate, and lay eggs in dark, moist cracks and crevices. Eggs hatch into larvae with four pairs of legs. Each larva molts 5 or more times, with the number of legs increasing with each. Fully mature adults have 15 pairs.

Unlike most other centipedes, house centipedes and their close relatives have well-developed compound eyes which are sensitive to ultraviolet as well as visible light. S. coleoptrata has developed automimicry in that its hind legs present the appearance of antennae, and there are false eyes on its rump. House centipedes feed on spiders, bedbugs, termites, cockroaches, silverfish, ants and other household arthropods. They administer venom through legs modified as fangs. [2]

1. Bugguide.net, Scutigera coleoptrata
2. William F. Lyon, Ohio State University Extension Fact Sheet HYG-2067-94
3. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, Millipede
4. Lenny Flank, Lenny Flank's Herp Page, "">Keeping and Raising Millipedes and Centipedes