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An Introduction and History of Centipedes

Centipedes are members of the arthropod phylum of invertebrate animals. This means they have no backbone, relying instead on a hard exoskeleton to support the weight of their bodies. A centipede's distinguishing characteristics include a segmented exoskeleton and multiple legs. Arthropods are an ancient phylum, existing for nearly half a billion years. Centipedes represent classes of arthropod animals that include two subclasses and an estimated 10,000 species worldwide.

Ancient Animals
- Centipedes shared the world with trilobites 400 million years ago.
  
  According to University of California Museum of Paleontology, centipedes have been around for about 400 million years. The fossilized head and fangs of a centipede found in the Middle Devonian Age Gilboa Forest in New York are the oldest centipede fossils.
  
  The early ancestors of centipedes were most likely arthropod animals that lived in the waters of the Paleozoic Era. When trees and tree-like plants began to cover the land, arthropods evolved into terrestrial forms, including the earliest centipedes.
  
  There is a lot of debate over exactly how the different species of arthropods are interrelated, but it is thought modern arthropods and insects derive from an earlier arthropod form.
Physiology
- Unlike millipedes, which have a similar appearance, centipedes have one pair of legs per body segment. The centipede body is divided into two parts, a head that can be dome-shaped or flattened, and a long, segmented trunk. A centipede can have between 15 and 750 legs.
  
  The first pair of legs evolved into chelicerae--fangs that can inject poison into their prey. These fangs are positioned underneath the head. This feature makes centipedes the only animal in nature with legs adapted into poison fangs. A centipede senses its environment with compound eyes and long antennae positioned at the front of its head.
Subclasses
- Centipedes breathe through spiracles along their bodies.
  
  Centipede species are further subdivided into two subclasses, based on the position of breathing spiracles and the general body form. Notostigmophora are centipedes with a rounded head and breathing spiracles, placed mid-dorsally on the segments. This subclass includes Scutigeromorpha, the species commonly found in homes and kitchens.
  
  Pleurostigmophora have flattened heads and paired lateral spiracles along their body. These supply oxygen to the trachea, which feeds it to the body cells. According to Professor Richard S. Fox of Lander University, all species of centipedes, except Scutigeromorpha, belong to the Pleurostigmophora subclass.
Habits
- Some centipedes are large enough to eat frogs and mice.
  
  Centipedes are predatory animals that feed on insects and other small arthropods. They have a long life span of up to 6 years. According to the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Scolopendra gigantea, a large centipede found in South America, preys upon lizards, toads and mice.
  
  Centipedes hibernate during the winter months and mate and produce young in the spring. Some centipede species lay single eggs that are fertilized by the males, and in other species the female will brood the eggs and post-embryonic young until they can feed themselves.
Growth
- Centipedes grow and change over time. This process is called incomplete metamorphosis. A young centipede, often called a nymph, must shed its exoskeleton to grow larger. In some species, this process causes the growth of additional segments and legs, while others just get larger.
Habitat
- Centipedes like to live in leaf litter and under stones.
  
  Centipedes prefer to live in humid, moist environments. Nocturnal hunters, they are often found under stones or living in the leaf litter found on the forest floor. Their exoskeleton does not have a protective coating like other arthropod species, which makes them prefer a moist environment.

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