# Scolopendra gigantea
**Scolopendra gigantea** Linnaeus, 1758, commonly called the Amazonian giant centipede or Peruvian giant yellow-leg centipede, is a large scolopendrid centipede from northern South America and nearby islands, regarded as the largest centipede species in the world, with a maximum length above 300 mm[1](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283318578_Predation_by_giant_centipedes_Scolopendra_gigantea_on_three_species_of_bats_in_a_Venezuelan_cave). It is the oldest species-group name in the centipede order [Scolopendromorpha](https://www.edgepedia.org/scolopendromorpha) and the family Scolopendridae, and it holds taxonomic priority over all other [Scolopendra](https://www.edgepedia.org/scolopendra) names in the New and Old Worlds[2](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/03946975.2000.10531129) • [3](https://zenodo.org/records/15604109).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Scientific name | *Scolopendra gigantea* Linnaeus, 1758, described in *Systema naturae*, 10th edition, p. 638; status valid[4](https://chilobase.biologia.unipd.it/searches/result_species/789) • [5](https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=1091056) |
| Size | World's largest centipede, maximum length >300 mm; a 2016 table of the largest living species in each clade lists 241 mm for Chilopoda[1](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283318578_Predation_by_giant_centipedes_Scolopendra_gigantea_on_three_species_of_bats_in_a_Venezuelan_cave) • [6](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4714876/) |
| Native range | Northern Colombia and Venezuela, and Trinidad, Isla Margarita, Curaçao, and Aruba[2](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/03946975.2000.10531129) |
| Neotype | A specimen from Valencia, Carabobo, northern Venezuela, designated by Shelley and Kiser (2000) to stabilize the name[2](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/03946975.2000.10531129) • [4](https://chilobase.biologia.unipd.it/searches/result_species/789) |
| Vertebrate prey | Frogs, lizards, mice, and bats; first documented bat predation on three species in a Venezuelan cave[7](https://explore.openaire.eu/search/result?pid=10.5281%2Fzenodo.13406559) • [8](https://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/centipedes) |
| Venom | Delivered through modified first-leg fangs (forcipules); venom described with necrotic, hemorrhagic, and neurotoxic activity[9](https://ve.scielo.org/scielo.php?pid=S1690-46482012000200011&script=sci_arttext) |
| Lifespan | About ten years in normal circumstances[10](https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Scolopendra_gigantea/) |
## Taxonomy and nomenclature
Linnaeus described *Scolopendra gigantea* in the 10th edition of *Systema naturae* (1758), making it the oldest species-group name in the order Scolopendromorpha and the family Scolopendridae[2](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/03946975.2000.10531129). Because the original type material was not adequate for a modern diagnosis, R. M. Shelley, an arthropod researcher at the North Carolina State Museum of Natural Sciences, and S. B. Kiser of Bat Conservation International designated a neotype from northern Venezuela in 2000 to fix the species concept[2](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/03946975.2000.10531129). The catalog ChiloBase gives the neotype locality as Valencia, Carabobo, Venezuela[4](https://chilobase.biologia.unipd.it/searches/result_species/789).
Several names coined for large scolopendrids are junior synonyms of *S. gigantea*: *Scolopendra gigas* Leach, 1815, *S. epileptica* Wood, 1861, *S. prasinipes* Wood, 1861, *S. insignis* Gervais, 1844, and *S. annulipes* Lucas, 1884[4](https://chilobase.biologia.unipd.it/searches/result_species/789). The subspecies *Scolopendra gigantea weyrauchi* Bücherl, 1950 was placed in synonymy under *Scolopendra galapagoensis* Bollman, 1889, a separate species that occurs on [Cocos Island](https://www.edgepedia.org/cocos-island), the [Galápagos Islands](https://www.edgepedia.org/galapagos-islands), and along the Pacific coast of South America from Ecuador to southern Peru[2](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/03946975.2000.10531129). A later catalog also restored the Mexican species *S. robusta* Kraepelin, 1903 to full species status after it had been reduced to a subspecies of *S. gigantea* in a popular booklet[11](https://mapress.com/zt/article/view/zootaxa.1253.1.1).
## Distribution and habitat
The species occurs in northern Colombia and Venezuela and on the islands of Trinidad, Isla Margarita, Curaçao, and Aruba[2](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/03946975.2000.10531129). Within Venezuela it has been recorded from Isla de [Margarita](https://www.edgepedia.org/margarita), Caracas, Maracay, Maracaibo, Aricagua in Mérida state, the semiarid northwestern zone of Lara and Falcón, and the surroundings of the Orinoco River[9](https://ve.scielo.org/scielo.php?pid=S1690-46482012000200011&script=sci_arttext). Records from the US Virgin Islands, Haiti, Mexico, and Honduras are considered accidental human importations or labeling errors[2](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/03946975.2000.10531129).
An Indian record has been disputed. Shelley and Kiser treated outlying records as importations, and J. G. E. Lewis noted in 2010 that presence in India is improbable[4](https://chilobase.biologia.unipd.it/searches/result_species/789). [Vinod Khanna](https://www.edgepedia.org/vinod-khanna) of the Zoological Survey of India and B. E. Yadav re-examined a museum specimen collected at Alibagh, Raigad district, [Maharashtra](https://www.edgepedia.org/maharashtra), about 20 cm long and black, and in 2005 confirmed the species' occurrence in India, raising the count of known scolopendrid species to 102[12](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/268415611_A_taxonomic_re-assessment_of_the_centipede_Scolopendra_gigantea_Linnaeus_Chilopoda_Scolopendridae_and_confirmation_of_its_occurrence_in_India). The two positions have not been reconciled in the sources.
Like other centipedes, *S. gigantea* lacks a waxy cuticle and is restricted to humid environments; it lives in soil, leaf litter, and rotten wood, under rocks, and also in caves[10](https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Scolopendra_gigantea/) • [9](https://ve.scielo.org/scielo.php?pid=S1690-46482012000200011&script=sci_arttext). It breathes through spiracles located on segments 4, 6, 8, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, and 21, openings through which it can lose water quickly[10](https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Scolopendra_gigantea/).
## Size
The species is considered the largest centipede in the world. Shelley and Kiser give a maximum length above 300 mm[1](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283318578_Predation_by_giant_centipedes_Scolopendra_gigantea_on_three_species_of_bats_in_a_Venezuelan_cave), and a Venezuelan medical checklist gives up to 30 to 40 cm[9](https://ve.scielo.org/scielo.php?pid=S1690-46482012000200011&script=sci_arttext). [Guinness World Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/guinness-world-records) lists a 26 cm (10 in) specimen from Venezuela as the largest centipede record[13](https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/largest-centipede), and a 2016 review of gigantism across life's clades lists 241 mm as the largest living chilopod[6](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4714876/). The differing figures reflect different measurement bases rather than different species; the documented maximum exceeds 30 cm while the largest formally recorded specimen is 26 cm.
## Feeding and bat predation
Giant centipedes are voracious carnivores. Documented prey includes small invertebrates such as crickets, worms, snails, and roaches, and vertebrates including lizards, toads, mice, frogs, and birds[10](https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Scolopendra_gigantea/) • [8](https://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/centipedes). Prey is seized and killed with the maxillipeds, modified first-leg fangs into which a poison gland opens[10](https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Scolopendra_gigantea/).
In 2005, Jesús Molinari and colleagues reported the first known cases of centipede predation on bats, observed in Cueva del Guano, a limestone cave on the Paraguaná Peninsula, Venezuela, that harbors 45,000 to 50,000 bats of five species[1](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283318578_Predation_by_giant_centipedes_Scolopendra_gigantea_on_three_species_of_bats_in_a_Venezuelan_cave) • [7](https://explore.openaire.eu/search/result?pid=10.5281%2Fzenodo.13406559). The prey were the ghost-faced bat *Mormoops megalophylla* and Davy's naked-backed bat *Pteronotus davyi* (family Mormoopidae) and the southern long-nosed bat *Leptonycteris curasoae* ([Phyllostomidae](https://www.edgepedia.org/phyllostomidae))[7](https://explore.openaire.eu/search/result?pid=10.5281%2Fzenodo.13406559). The observations showed two capabilities that most other bat predators lack: the centipedes climb cave ceilings to catch and eat flying or perching bats, both nocturnally and diurnally, and they subdue bats substantially heavier than themselves[7](https://explore.openaire.eu/search/result?pid=10.5281%2Fzenodo.13406559). A 2025 review of centipede predation on vertebrates records *S. gigantea* taking these three bat species in caves, and notes that large-bodied *Scolopendra* species including *S. gigantea* have been recorded subduing snakes often comparable to their own size[14](https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/ecology-and-evolution/articles/10.3389/fevo.2025.1634037/full).
## Venom and medical importance
Among centipedes, the order Scolopendromorpha, particularly the genus *Scolopendra*, accounts for the most frequent and most severe recorded centipede accidents, and these animals have one of the most toxic venoms among the group[9](https://ve.scielo.org/scielo.php?pid=S1690-46482012000200011&script=sci_arttext). The venom of *S. gigantea* is described as having necrotic, hemorrhagic, and neurotoxic activity[9](https://ve.scielo.org/scielo.php?pid=S1690-46482012000200011&script=sci_arttext). Confirmed envenomation cases, including neonates, have been reported in Miranda state, Venezuela, producing among other effects paresthesias and functional impairment[9](https://ve.scielo.org/scielo.php?pid=S1690-46482012000200011&script=sci_arttext). Guinness World Records describes the venom as toxic to humans, causing swelling and fever[13](https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/largest-centipede). In Falcón state, where the species occurs, it is considered likely involved in numerous cases of scolopendrism with systemic clinical effects[9](https://ve.scielo.org/scielo.php?pid=S1690-46482012000200011&script=sci_arttext).
## Reproduction and behavior
The sexes are hard to distinguish even in adults. Because the male has no copulatory organs, he spins a small silk pad, deposits sperm on it, and the female picks up the sperm and lays her eggs; she then broods the eggs until the hatchlings can find their own food[10](https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Scolopendra_gigantea/). A normal lifespan is about ten years[10](https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Scolopendra_gigantea/). By feeding on insects and other pests, the species is considered beneficial to gardeners and farmers, and centipedes generally have become popular terrarium pets[10](https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Scolopendra_gigantea/).
## References
1. [Molinari, J., Gutiérrez, E. E., Ascenção, A. A. de, Nas, J. M., Arends, A., & Már, R. J. (2005). Predation by giant centipedes, Scolopendra gigantea, on three species of bats in a Venezuelan cave. Caribbean Journal of Science.](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283318578_Predation_by_giant_centipedes_Scolopendra_gigantea_on_three_species_of_bats_in_a_Venezuelan_cave)
2. [Shelley, R. M., & Kiser, S. B. (2000). Neotype designation and a diagnostic account for the centipede, Scolopendra gigantea L. 1758, with an account of S. galapagoensis Bollman 1889. Tropical Zoology 13: 159-170.](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/03946975.2000.10531129)
3. [Shelley, R. M. (2006). A chronological catalog of the New World species of Scolopendra L., 1758. Zootaxa 1253: 1-50 (Zenodo record).](https://zenodo.org/records/15604109)
4. [ChiloBase 2.0: Scolopendra gigantea Linnaeus, 1758.](https://chilobase.biologia.unipd.it/searches/result_species/789)
5. [ITIS Report: Scolopendra gigantea Linnaeus, 1758, TSN 1091056.](https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=1091056)
6. [Gigantism and Its Implications for the History of Life, PMC.](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4714876/)
7. [Predation by Giant Centipedes, Scolopendra gigantea, on Three Species of Bats in a Venezuelan Cave, OpenAIRE/Zenodo record.](https://explore.openaire.eu/search/result?pid=10.5281%2Fzenodo.13406559)
8. [Centipedes, Missouri Department of Conservation field guide.](https://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/centipedes)
9. [Cazorla Perfetti, D. J. (2012). Listado de especies de ciempiés (Myriapoda, Chilopoda) conocidas en Venezuela. Boletín de Malariología y Salud Ambiental 52(2).](https://ve.scielo.org/scielo.php?pid=S1690-46482012000200011&script=sci_arttext)
10. [Meshew, C. (2001). Scolopendra gigantea, Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.](https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Scolopendra_gigantea/)
11. [A chronological catalog of the New World species of Scolopendra L., 1758, Zootaxa 1253.](https://mapress.com/zt/article/view/zootaxa.1253.1.1)
12. [Khanna, V., & Yadav, B. E. (2005). A taxonomic re-assessment of the centipede Scolopendra gigantea Linnaeus and confirmation of its occurrence in India. Zoos' Print Journal 20(9): 1988.](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/268415611_A_taxonomic_re-assessment_of_the_centipede_Scolopendra_gigantea_Linnaeus_Chilopoda_Scolopendridae_and_confirmation_of_its_occurrence_in_India)
13. [Largest centipede, Guinness World Records.](https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/largest-centipede)
14. [Centipede predation on vertebrates: a review with the first bat case from Asia, Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution (2025).](https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/ecology-and-evolution/articles/10.3389/fevo.2025.1634037/full)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Life and health › Animals › Invertebrates › Arthropods › Myriapods › Centipedes (Chilopoda) › Scolopendromorpha and Scolopendra*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license