The name means 100 legs

By Aaron Horrell

This image shows one of a class of arthropods known as centipedes. They are not insects. Insects have six legs.

There are thousands of different kinds of centipedes worldwide. Most live in damp, dark places, and most have no eyes. The one I photographed here is common in Southeast Missouri. I have seen it many times, usually under the bark of a dead, rotting log.

The body of a centipede is elongated with many segments. Each segment has one leg on each side. Most centipedes do not have 100 legs.

Centipedes eat soft-bodied insects such as spiders. A centipede will use venom to immobilize its prey. It is unwise to handle a centipede with bare hands because it may inflict a painful bite.