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Animal profile

House Centipede

Scutigera coleoptrata

ChilopodaDamp basements, bathrooms and crawl spaces indoors; under stones and logs outdoors

Field profile

The house centipede is a yellowish-grey centipede about three centimetres long with fifteen pairs of exceptionally long legs and long banded antennae. It is a fast nocturnal hunter of household insects and spiders. Unlike most centipedes it is fully adapted to living indoors.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2023-11-02

House Centipede

House centipede legs get longer toward the back

Each of the fifteen leg pairs is longer than the one in front of it. The graded arrangement lets the animal move at high speed without its rear legs colliding with its front ones, and the hindmost pair is longer than the entire body.

Read with evidence →

House Centipede | Daily Animal Facts