Centipedes/Tausendfuessler
26 October 2009 | Dom.Rep.
Something for the Halloween Party...
Centipedes are known as generalist predators which means that they have adapted to eat a variety of different available prey items. Centipedes are also known to be nocturnal.
What centipedes actually eat is not well known because of their cryptic lifestyle and thorough mastication of food. Laboratory feeding trials support that they will feed as generalists, taking most anything that is soft-bodied and in a reasonable size range. It has been suggested that earthworms provide the bulk of their diet.
They have been observed eating reptiles, amphibians, small mammals, bats and birds.
Centipedes are eaten by a great many vertebrates and invertebrates, and form the staple diet of some.
Some species of centipede can be hazardous to humans because of their bite. Although a bite to an adult human is usually only very painful, it can be dangerous to small children and those with allergies to bee stings. The bite of larger centipedes can induce anaphylactic shock in such people. Smaller centipedes usually do not puncture human skin.