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Scolopendra heros arizonensis
S. heros has an average length of 6.5 inches (170 mm), but can reach up to 8 in (200 mm). Its trunk bears 21 or 23 pairs of legs. It is aposematically colored, to warn off potential predators, and a number of color variants are known in the species
S. heros is found in northern Mexico and the southern United States, from New Mexico and Arizona in the west, to Arkansas and Missouri in the east. It remains underground on warm days, emerging in cloudy weather.
Sorry for the subpar images. I was shooting into a small tank while trying to avoid disturbing her. This specimen was spotted at Tulsa Zoo & Living Museum.
Spotted on Apr 18, 2012
Submitted on Apr 23, 2012
48 Comments (1–25)
Amazing!
Wow! Absolutely amazing! Definitely not gross. If anything, it looks like a super-fancy hors-d'ouvre.
Not gross at all! :-) Centipede females are great moms, cleaning and protecting their eggs until they hatch.
Thanks for the link to those photos, Chime. What an outstanding find! :-)
Congrats Goody for the SOTD. :) Beautiful picture. Its a lovely find which I have missed back in Chennai. I saw a mother centipede with her hatchlings still clinging on to her like ball of small white centipedes. Maybe they were not ready to leave the nest. :) Check it out.
http://animalsnapshot.blogspot.in/2010/0...
Crazy!! Cool! Kind of gross, but good one!
Incredible! Congrats!
Very nice - congratulations!
Amazing. Congrats.
Congratulations Goody !
Congratulations Goody on a very well deserved Spotting of the Day :)
Nice one Goody.
Congrats Goody
Well done Aaron! A worthy SOTD!
Ashish, I have added this to your mission. Thanks for alerting me to it!
wow.......congrats!!!!!!!!!!!!
wonderful information and series, Goody
great spot ! congrats!
Thank you all for the kind words. Being the critical guy I am, I wish I could have taken better photos of this event. :-)
Marta, centipede moms roll around their eggs to cradle and protect them. During the incubation process they constantly groom the eggs with their mouthparts, keeping them free of debris and fungus. They remain curled around them the entire time and only move on when they have hatched and crawl free on their own. Sometimes a disturbance will cause her to gobble up the eggs, but other times it's believed they are consumed because they are known to be infertile. She will gain back the energy she lost by laying them, which could prove to be important because she may not eat for weeks while protecting her eggs.
Cognrats Goody!!! Lovely series!
Congrats Goody. Super photos.
What a fantastic spotting and photo, Goody. Congrats.
Congratulations Goody what a spotting and photo:):)
Congratulations!
Nice spot :)
wouw.....
Congratulations!
Does the centipede stays guarding her eggs or was she rolled over them just while she was laying them?