Scolopendra gigantea is a venomous, red-maroon centipede with forty-six yellow-tinted legs. Known as the largest centipedes in the world, these creatures reach lengths of over 30 cm – the length of a man's forearm. They are very swift runners and are also highly adept climbers as well. The most impressive of their ability is being able to hang on cave walls and prey on bats.In an environment completely devoid of light, the centipede scurries across the damp floor, stepping over writhing mounds of beetles to scale the wall and clamber across the ceiling into a position near the center. The giant centipede then grips the stone with it rear legs, allowing its forward segments to dangle into the cave below. Its front section sways as its legs wriggle through the air in search of the intended target: a passing bat.
The fast-flying bats have little warning of the centipede's presence, and within moments one is snatched from the air in mid-flight. The S. gigantea's toxic venom works quickly as the bat hopelessly attempts to squirm from the grasp of many legs, only to succumb to the poison seconds later. There, dangling from the cave ceiling, the centipede eats every scrap of flesh from its prey over the period of about an hour. It then pulls itself back up to the ceiling and climbs down the wall to return to the dark, damp corner of the cave from whence it came.
Video: Google
Link & Image: Damn Interesting
Tags: Centipedes | Bat | Nature
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