{"id":24233,"date":"2023-01-26T11:06:00","date_gmt":"2023-01-26T10:06:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/?p=73514"},"modified":"2023-01-26T11:35:49","modified_gmt":"2023-01-26T10:35:49","slug":"are-centipedes-venomous","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/rss_feed\/are-centipedes-venomous\/","title":{"rendered":"Are centipedes venomous?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Stuart Blackman\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Thursday, 26 January 2023 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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Counting a centipede\u2019s legs is no simple task \u2013 and not only because it has lots of them.<\/p>\n

For a start, do you count the two elongated, backward-pointing appendages at the rear end?<\/p>\n

Well, yes, because these are indeed legs that have been modified for other tasks. In some species, they have assumed a sensory, antenna-like role; in others, they have developed pointy, hardened tips that are wielded defensively.<\/p>\n

Things get trickier at the business end. That\u2019s because centipedes are the only animals to have transformed walking legs into venom<\/a>-injecting fangs.<\/p>\n

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And very impressive they are, too. The forcipules \u2013 to give them their technical name \u2013 probably arose from a hunting technique involving grappling prey with the front legs.<\/p>\n

These developed a groove along their length for the delivery of venom from a gland at the base to the pointed tips and a cutting edge on the inner curve for butchering prey.<\/p>\n

This transformation has played a significant part in centipedes\u2019 formidable predatory prowess.<\/p>\n

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