This is a very short video I shot with my Sony Cybershot camera during an ecology lab. It is a soil centipede (order geophilomorpha) under a light microscope. Magnification is 10x. He was a tiny little thing in actuality, but quite intimidating up close!
Most centipedes are venomous but the venom is not dangerous to humans unless they have an allergic reaction to it. If a centipede were to bite you and break skin, it would be kind of painful like getting stung by a bee. However this little guy was very small and so he was not strong enough to bite anyone and break the skin. If you see a centipede that is fairly large you should not handle it as they will try to bite if they are frightened.
vonheston 1 year ago