No. 0930 of 1,402
House centipede
Scutigera coleoptrata
Centipedes🦷 Bites
Danger to people: MildLike a bee sting or less. Basically harmless to people.House centipede belongs to the group: Centipedes. It lives in: Europe, Asia, Africa.2
Venom power
Bites
Venom comes out through its fangs or teeth when it bites.
How dangerous is it to people?
Danger to people: MildLike a bee sting or less. Basically harmless to people.🚑 If it bites or stings
- Wash the bite, cool it or soak it in warm water for the pain, and get medical help if it gets worse.
Always call your emergency number first (112, 000, 911). This is general first aid guidance, not medical advice. First aid basics
⛑️ Stay safe
- Never touch, catch or tease a wild animal, even a small one, and even if it looks asleep or dead.
- Give it space. If you meet one, stay calm, step back slowly and let it go its own way.
- If one bites or stings you: stay calm, keep still, call your emergency number (112, 000, 911) or get to a hospital fast. Remember what it looked like, a photo helps.
It is not out to get you. It uses its venom to catch food or to protect itself, and it would much rather hide. More about staying safe
Where in the world?
How big is it?
How long is it?
📎about as long as a paper clip
How big is House centipede compared to YOU?
Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.
How fast is it?
A garden snail about 0.05 km/h (0.03 mph)
A tortoise about 0.3 km/h (0.19 mph)
House centipede about 0.98 km/h (0.61 mph)
A person walking about 5 km/h (3.1 mph)
A kid on a bike about 12 km/h (7.5 mph)
Where the facts come from
- Scutigera coleoptrata (iNaturalist): names and classification.
- Venom Wiki: the danger level, the typical size and the speed guess are our own. See how we work them out: How we rate danger.
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