Giant desert centipedes are typically 6-8 inches long, and have rust or orange-colored … The smaller, brown and tan, common desert centipede is less so. Their colouring is brown to yellow or orange, depending on age and sex. The giant desert centipede, which includes three colorful subspecies, has more than two dozen segments and typically measures 8 to 10 inches in length, making it one of the larger in the world. How Did I Get Giant Desert Centipedes? This centipede can be much larger than the common desert centipede, but rumors of it growing to over a foot long are inaccurate. Scolopendra gigantea, also known as the Peruvian giant yellow-leg centipede or Amazonian giant centipede, is one of the largest centipedes of the genus Scolopendra with a length up to 30 centimetres (12 in). Length from a few mm to 50 mm. They have brown to yellow or orange color. They grow to 10 - 15 cm long (4" - 6") and can live for up to an incredible 7 years! This warning coloration advertises the centipede as dangerous. Centipede. Body: These centipedes have 20 pairs of yellow legs with a set of black rear legs used to grasp, hold prey and inject venom. Unlike the house centipede, desert centipedes are dark brown and color and can appear even more frightening, as they grow to be 4 to 6 inches in length. The black, red and yellow color combination seems to send a signal to some deeply instinctive part of the human brain, transmitting a message of danger. Young ones are more brightly coloured, and females are darker (as well as larger) than males. Giant Desert Centipede. Centipedes belong to the class of Chilopoda and there are some 3,150 represented throughout the world. The giant desert centipede is usually 6 to 8 inches (15 to 20 cm) long, while the common desert centipede is 4 to 5 inches (10 to 13 cm) long. The larger giant desert centipede is orange with a black head and tail. Desert centipedes often found under rocks, boards, and … Officially classified as centipedes, they have long bodies containing many flattened segments. It has a long body containing 1000 flattened segments with a pair of legs on each segment. 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. The Texas red-headed centipede is known by several different names, among them: The Giant Desert Centipede; by its scientific name, Scolopendra Heros, and also by a few very inappropriate names that are commonly shouted when one encounters a Texas centipede for the first time. Body many-segmented, but usually flattened and with only one pair of legs per segment. Scolopendra centipede is from the order Scolopendromorpha. Its species include giant centipede, desert centipede and Vietnamese centipede. 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