🚨 ARTHROPOD OF THE DAY 🚨

The Giant Desert Centipede (Scolopendra heros), also known as the giant Sonoran centipede or Texas redheaded centipede is a North American species found in the southwestern United States. They are the largest centipede in North America.

They can grow to 200mm in the wild and longer when in captivity. It is aposematically colored, to warn off potential predators, and a number of color variants are known in the species. They can have up to twenty-three pairs of legs. In Arkansas, Missouri, and Texas they have red heads with a green to black body and tail.

They are common from New Mexico and Arizona to Missouri, Louisiana, and Arkansas. They are found in rocky woodland areas, remaining underground in warmer weather and coming out on cooler days.