Centipedes are ancient arthropods belonging to the class Chilopoda. These multi-legged creatures are found in terrestrial habitats across the globe, often inhabiting damp, dark spaces near human dwellings. Curiosity about their diet is common, especially for the smaller species frequently encountered indoors or in gardens. To understand what these swift predators consume, it is necessary to identify the specific group of animals being discussed.
Identifying Common Small Centipedes
The term “small centipedes” generally refers to species measuring under two inches in length. This group includes the House Centipede (Scutigera coleoptrata), which typically reaches one to one and a half inches and is known for its long, banded legs. Other smaller types include the Stone Centipedes (Order Lithobiomorpha) and the Earth Centipedes (Order Geophilomorpha), often found under logs, rocks, or in garden soil.
These creatures are distinct from their myriapod relatives, the millipedes, which primarily feed on decaying vegetation. Centipedes, in contrast, possess only one pair of legs per segment and are defined by their predatory lifestyle. This physical difference confirms that small centipedes are hunters, not decomposers. The common species encountered all share the fundamental characteristic of being venomous carnivores.
The Strictly Carnivorous Diet
Small centipedes maintain a strictly carnivorous diet, functioning as obligate predators that actively hunt and subdue live prey. Their metabolism requires a protein-rich intake, which is supplied exclusively by other small animals. Centipedes do not consume plant matter or decaying organic material, though they may scavenge on dead invertebrates if live food is scarce.
The types of prey they target are diverse but universally small arthropods and worms they can overpower. Common indoor food items include silverfish, firebrats, carpet beetle larvae, and cockroaches, making the House Centipede a natural form of pest control. Outdoors, they feed on various insects, earthworms, spiders, and other small invertebrates found in the leaf litter and soil.
This broad range of prey makes centipedes generalist predators, adapted to consume whatever suitable small life form is available. For the small species, this includes fly larvae, ants, and sometimes even smaller centipedes. Their presence in a home often signals an existing pest problem, as they are drawn to areas with a plentiful food supply.
Hunting Techniques and Prey Capture
Centipedes are effective hunters, relying on speed and agility. They are nocturnal predators that use their long antennae to detect prey through chemical signals and vibrations in the environment. The House Centipede is known for its speed, using its many legs to quickly pursue and ambush its targets.
The process of prey capture is centered on their unique venom-injecting appendages called forcipules. These are a modified first pair of walking legs located just behind the head. The forcipules function as pincer-like claws, allowing the centipede to grip the prey while injecting venom through a pore near the tip of each claw.
The venom is a complex cocktail containing neurotoxic proteins and peptides designed to rapidly paralyze or kill the victim. This swift immobilization is necessary to subdue struggling prey. Once the prey is captured and neutralized, the centipede uses its mandibles to consume the meal.