CEN'TIPEDES. These " hundred-legged" creatures —for that is what the name means—are found in greatest numbers in warm countries. A few species only live in the United States. These are rather small, the largest one being about five inches in length, and they perform a useful service in eating worms and insects harmful to vegetation.
The larger centipedes live in the West Indies and in South America. Some of the biggest measure 18 inches in length. These are very ferocious creatures, living on insects, small animals, and birds, which they capture by means of their poisonous jaws. Their bite is fatal to many animals and dangerous to man.
Centipedes look something like worms, but a careful examination will show that they are very nearly related to the insects, belonging to the myri apod class (see Insects). Their bodies are long and are marked off into a great number of divisions called segments. They have as many pairs of legs as there are segments in the body, usually about 23, though this number varies somewhat with different species. The first pair of legs, fused at the base, form the poison fangs. The long feelers or antennae on the head, which are constantly waving about, take the place of eyes. Scientific name of American centi pede, Lithobius americanus. The great tropical species is called Scolopendra gigantea.