Class Chilopoda

Class Chilopoda

They have have two body regions, a head and a trunk.  The head has a pair of mandibles and two pairs of maxillae, the second pair may be somewhat leg-like.  They also have one pair of antennae.  The first segment of the trunk has a pair of clawlike appendages and function as poison jaws, with which they use to paralyze their prey.  Each segment of the trunk bears a single pair of legs.


Centipedes are elongated and typically flattened and can maneuver through leaf litter, soil, and beneath bark quite easily.  Centipedes prey on insects, spiders, and other small animals.  The common, small centipedes are harmless to humans while the larger ones can inflict a painful bite.