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Sticker of Galapagos centipede
Bug card No. 0549 of 1,500

Galapagos centipede

Scolopendra galapagoensis
Eats: Other bugs and small animalsCentipedes and millipedesRainforests and junglesNot an insect, but a bug cousin

The Galapagos centipede is one of the biggest centipedes in the whole world. It can grow as long as a school ruler. It is a strong hunter that lives on the Galápagos Islands and in parts of South America.

Fun fact: this one is not an insect. Insects have six legs, and this cousin has many, many more.
Lives in
The Galápagos Islands, Ecuador, Peru and Cocos Island in Costa Rica
Length
30 cm (12 in)
the biggest ones
Top speed
about 4.5 km/h (2.8 mph)
On foot, estimate
Can it hurt you?
Can bite or sting
What does it eat?
It eats crickets, and sometimes even baby mice, rats and once a small snake.
For real!Photo of Galapagos centipede
Picture by Juan Carlos Caicedo Hernández. CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

How big is it?

How long is it?

Galapagos centipede about 30 cm long (12 in)A crayon about 9 cm (3.5 in)A banana about 18 cm (7.1 in)A house cat about 50 cm (20 in)
as long as 9 toy building bricks in a rowas long as 1.5 bananas end to endcould run across a dinner table in 0.8 seconds

How big is Galapagos centipede compared to YOU?

Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.

How fast is it?

cool stuff

Fun facts

1

It can reach about 30 centimetres long.

2

It is the only giant Scolopendra centipede on the Galápagos Islands, where twelve other kinds of centipedes live.

3

It comes in two different colour forms.

4

Galápagos hawks, mockingbirds and rats hunt it.

you asked

Most asked questions about Galapagos centipede

?How big is the Galapagos centipede?

The biggest ones are about 30 centimetres long, one of the largest centipedes on Earth.

?What does the Galapagos centipede eat?

Crickets, baby rodents and even small snakes.

For bug experts

Scientific name
Scolopendra galapagoensis
Named by
Bollman, 1889
Group
Centipedes and millipedes
Family
Scolopendridae
Classification
Chilopoda > Scolopendromorpha > Scolopendridae
Lives on
South America, North America
Also known as
Galápagos centipede, Darwin's goliath centipede

Where the facts come from

  1. Scolopendra galapagoensis (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
  2. Picture by Juan Carlos Caicedo Hernández. CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons. The round sticker of this bug is cut from the same picture.

If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at hello@bugwiki.app and we will fix it.

More from the same group: Centipedes and millipedes

Also at home here: Rainforests and jungles