Chinese customs intercepted five "world's largest" poisonous centipedes, which are longer than half an arm of an adult and are extremely toxic, taking only 30 seconds to poison bats.
This kind of centipede is called giant centipede, full name Galapagos giant centipede. Mainly distributed in South America, it is 30-40 cm long and the longest is nearly 50 cm. Pure black in color, it is the overlord of centipedes, and is the largest centipede species known in the world. It is an invasive alien species, and in November 2022, Chinese customs seized the larvae of five giant centipedes with a body length of 15-20 cm when inspecting inbound mail.
In general, the toxicity released by centipedes is positively correlated with their body size, and the larger the centipede, the more toxic it is. The native Chinese centipede is mainly the red-headed centipede, the largest in size, and is more common in rural areas. Black-headed centipedes are also found in some areas. The head of the centipede has poisonous glands that excrete large amounts of venom. People will have redness and severe pain after being bitten, and Chinese centipedes are basically not fatal, unless the bitten person has a more special allergic constitution.
The giant centipede is three times the size of the ordinary red-headed centipede in China, with a terrifying appearance and a ferocious nature. In the process of hunting, the giant centipede will use the 6 legs at the back end of its body to fix it on the ground, lift its body and hang in the air, and after the prey approaches, the millipede bursts out and quickly injects venom into the prey. For ordinary small animals, 30 seconds will cause a painful death. Common birds, bats, mice, etc. are all food for giant centipedes.
Because of their huge size, humans are more resistant to the toxicity of centipedes, but they will also produce serious reactions of the body, such as headache, fever, vomiting, fainting and other symptoms. People with weaker physiques can also cause complications such as lymphangitis and sepsis due to the toxicity of giant centipedes.
In China, although centipedes rank first among the five poisons, there are still many people who keep centipedes as pets with personality. And in order to pursue the strange, the larger the centipede tends to be more rare and the more expensive it is. This is also why there are always people who sell foreign centipedes into the country. However, the Galapagos giant centipede is too rare and extremely difficult to catch, and bad sellers often replace it with a Peruvian giant centipede, and many people who want to buy the Galapagos giant centipede are often deceived.
In short, it is understandable to keep centipedes as pets, but buying invasive species without authorization is not only a matter of hobby, but also a serious illegal act of irresponsibility for native species.
