Donating my pet to science... sorta.

Last October I caught a giant centipede (over 8 inches) near my office and I've been keeping him at home. Buying feeder crickets and keeping his cage conditions right have become a chore, and my efforts to find a buyer for this exceptional specimen met with no success. So, I sent an email to the biology department of my local state university, and got a call back from the department head. He was very eager to accept my little critter, and confirmed that he was fairly rare in our area and of exceptional size.

So, with a bit of sadness, the wife and I are gonna deliver him to the good professor tomorrow. Funny how you can grow attached to something so hideous (and venomous)...



Picture of Scolopendra heros (mine is actually bigger and fatter than this one!).

I specified in my email and in conversation that I was offering the specimen only if their interest lie in keeping it alive. The guy I talked to teaches invertebrate zoology and I had actually met him before - he is active as a spokesman for local environmental/ecological issues - so I think he'll be in as good hand as I might possibly hope for. I'm including contact info and a standing offer to take him back, along with the collection date/place info that was requested.

Well, he's now officially a ward of Lamar University...

FWIW, I caught him in a large coffee can, with a coworker 'herding' him. He was wicked fast back then - before I fattened him up. And re: petting - no, he has venom in his bite _and_ in barbs on each one of his legs, so definitely no petting this little guy.

Funny story - when I first got him he was housed in the largest plastic bug/reptile cage the pet store had. I left this plastic cage out on our dining room table - anyway, that night I hear a crash and write it off as typical mischief from one of our cats - figure we'll clean whatever it is up in the morning. But before I drift back to sleep, I realize the possibility - bolt up, run into the dining room - and scoop the centipede back into his cage just in time to avoid having a venomous monster at large in the house (and thereby saving my marriage in all liklihood!).

The wife has grown very fond of him, though, and is kinda sad to see him go, as well. I'm really just too busy to keep his cage conditions right (damp but not soggy) and a steady supply of feeder crickets on hand.

Something memorable happened as I was preparing him for delivery - I brought his cage outside to change the dirt/litter so it'd be fresh. I had the cage on the ground near an ivy planter and I heard something go 'thwack!' I looked and there was an anole lizard (the common kind frequently called a chameleon) who was trying to get at one of the feeder crickets inside the cage. He charged at the side of the cage a couple more times before noticing me sitting there, and hightailing it back into the ivy. Would've made a great submission for one of those "America's Funniest Animals" shows...

Originally posted by bentem
Did the centipede have a name?

Click to expand...

My wife named him "Icky."