The centipede reaches the cave roof and grips the rock with its hindmost legs and a portion of the body, leaving the front section free and dangling. When a bat passes within reach, it strikes with its forcipules, the modified first pair of legs that deliver venom, and holds the prey with its remaining legs while the venom takes effect.
The observations, published in 2005 from caves in Venezuela, recorded the centipede subduing and consuming bats considerably heavier than itself. The same species is known to take tarantulas, lizards, frogs, snakes, mice and small birds, which makes it a predator of vertebrates as a matter of routine rather than exception.
The maximum size is often overstated. Reliable measurements exceed 30 centimetres, and a specimen of about 26 centimetres was reported taking bats, but claims approaching 50 centimetres are not well supported. Human envenomation causes severe local pain and swelling; a very small number of deaths have been attributed to large Scolopendra, and the evidence in those cases is thin.