How big are bird eating centipedes?

Bird eating centipedes are a group of large centipedes found primarily in South America and parts of Central America. They get their name from their ability to prey on small birds, mice, bats, and other small vertebrates. However, how big do these centipedes actually get? Let’s take a closer look at the size of some of the largest bird eating centipedes.

Giant Centipedes

There are several species of giant centipedes found in South America that are known for feeding on vertebrates. Some of the largest include:

• Amazonian giant centipede (Scolopendra gigantea) – This species can reach lengths of over 12 inches (30 cm), making it one of the largest centipedes in the world. Their bodies are a vivid orange and black color.
• Peruvian giant yellowleg centipede (Scolopendra viridicornis) – Reaching lengths of up to 11 inches (28 cm), this giant centipede has characteristic yellow legs. It is found in parts of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, and Brazil.
• Brazilian giant centipede (Scolopendra alternans) – This large species can exceed 10 inches (25 cm) and is mostly dark brown or maroon in color with yellowish legs.

So in terms of body length, the largest bird eating centipedes can reach over 12 inches (30 cm). However, they have very flattened bodies, so their actual height off the ground is much less.

Legspan

Another way the size of centipedes is measured is by legspan. This refers to the distance between the outermost legs on each side when the centipede’s legs are fully extended. For giant bird eating centipedes, the legspan can be even more impressive than the body length.

Here are the maximum legspans for some giant species:

• Amazonian giant centipede – up to 15 inches (38 cm)
• Peruvian giant yellowleg centipede – up to 12 inches (30 cm)
• Brazilian giant centipede – up to 11 inches (28 cm)

So while their bodies stay close to the ground, these centipedes can have a legspan wider than a person’s hand when stretched out!

Body Structure

To understand why the legspan can exceed the body length in bird eating centipedes, it helps to look at their general body structure:

• Centipedes have elongated, segmented bodies with one pair of legs attached to each body segment.
• Giant centipedes can have over 30 body segments and 30+ pairs of legs.
• Their legs extend outward from the sides of their flattened bodies.
• Two of the hindmost pairs of legs are extra long to propel the centipede forward.

So while their flattened bodies stay close to the ground, the legs sticking out give them a much wider stance. In addition, the extra long back legs are included in the legspan measurement, making it even larger.

Prey Size

The large size of bird eating centipedes allows them to prey on vertebrates much larger than regular centipedes could. Here are some of the prey items these giant centipedes are known to feed on:

The large legspan allows the centipede to more easily wrap itself around larger prey items to subdue them. The potent venom then helps immobilize and digest the prey.

Growth Rate

Giant centipedes grow continuously throughout their lifetimes, molting periodically to allow for increased body size. Each time they molt, they add additional body segments and pairs of legs. Here are some details on their growth rate:

• Young hatch from eggs about 0.5 inches (12 mm) long.
• They molt frequently when young, adding segments and length rapidly.
• Growth slows down as they age, with molting occurring less often.
• Adults continue periodic molting throughout their multi-year lifespans.
• Maximum size is reached in about 3-5 years.

So while giant centipedes start out small, they experience dramatic growth through adolescence to reach their maximum body length and legspan.

Comparison to Other Animals

To get a better sense of just how big bird eating centipedes can get, it helps to see how they size up against more familiar animals:

• As long as a small snake – Amazonian giant centipedes can equal the length of a young rat snake or garter snake.
• Wider than a man’s hand – The legspan can exceed the width from thumb to pinky in an adult male’s hand.
• Heavier than a hamster – Some giant centipedes weigh over 3-4 oz, heavier than an adult hamster.
• Longer than a hot dog – The largest centipedes surpass the length of an average hot dog.

While giant bird eating centipedes aren’t as massive as some of their giant insect relatives like the Goliath beetle, they are quite large compared to most centipede species. Their size does live up to their namesake and strikes fear into their unfortunate vertebrate prey!

Fossil Evidence

Centipedes have been around for hundreds of millions of years, evolving as far back as the Devonian period. Some fossils provide insight into how the size of ancient centipedes compares to modern bird eating centipedes:

• Largest fossil centipede – Euphoberia was a giant centipede reaching nearly 2 feet (60 cm) long found in Pennsylvanian deposits about 300 million years old.
• Largest modern centipedes reach just over 1 foot (30 cm) long.
• Legspan of Euphoberia estimated up to nearly 20 inches (50 cm).
• Modern bird eating centipedes have legspans under 16 inches (40 cm).

So while today’s giant tropical centipedes can prey on small vertebrates, some ancient centipede species dwarfed them in size. Euphoberia and other extinct giants are some of the largest known land invertebrates of all time!

Conclusion

In summary, South America’s bird eating centipedes can reach imposing sizes, with the largest species exceeding 12 inches (30 cm) in length and 15 inches (38 cm) in legspan. Their flattened bodies stay close to the ground while their many legs propel them rapidly forwards to ambush prey. Getting bitten by one would be a highly unpleasant experience! While not as massive as some prehistoric centipedes, bird eating centipedes are giants compared to their modern day relatives. Their size and venomous bite allows them to overpower vertebrates many times their weight.