These multi-legged intimidating creatures are often overlooked for their inherent helpfulness - they target other pests.
Centipedes belong to the class of Chilopoda and there are some 3,150 represented throughout the world. The class is further broken down into four orders identified as Scutigeromorpha, Scolopendromorpha, Lithobiomorpha and Geophilomorpha, each differed by varying leg segments and total number of legs. While the word 'centipede' itself (born from the Latin) translates to '100 feet', Centipedes generally to not follow this fixed total in terms of total number of legs. As such, Centipedes can be found with as few as 30 legs or as many as 100. The most common residential North American species is the House Centipede which can grow to be over an inch in length. Other species can exceed six inches.
There are a total of [ 6 ] Centipedes in the InsectIdentification.org database. Always pay close attention to color variations and body shapes when trying to identify a species. To remove entries below, simply click on the 'X' in the red box of each respective insect.