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Something nasty this way comes
August 10, 2010 • Nature • 25 Comments
(5 votes, average: 2.80 out of 5)
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• PREHISTORIC: The Megarian Banded Centipede |
Jason Heppenstall delves deep under the bedclothes and finds something nasty
LEON FEASEY, by his own admission, does not scare easily.
But one evening, tired after a hard day on a building site, something happened to him he will never forget. Retiring to the bedroom of his rustic house on the outskirts of Orgiva, he stripped naked and climbed into bed. Some time later his wife Rebecca decided to join him. But on entering the bedroom and pulling back the bedclothes she was in for a terrible shock. Leon awoke, startled, to find his wife screaming hysterically and pointing at something “long and evil-looking” nestling within the folds of the duvet.
“It was massive,” she told the Olive Press. “It was almost a foot long and writhing around in the bed as my husband slept.”
The weary builder leapt to his feet and had only seconds to size up the situation. Grabbing a jar he attempted to trap what looked like a giant squirming worm. “It wasn’t easy, it could move very fast and I couldn’t fit all of it in.”
Eventually, with it trapped inside the jar he ran into the living room and, opening the door of the log burning stove, threw it onto the red hot cinders inside before slamming the door shut. But the creature was not beaten yet. Seemingly unaffected by the intense heat it scuttled angrily around the inside the furnace before emerging through an air vent and resuming the attack.
In the ensuing mêlée, Leon managed to trap the creature again. This time he was taking no chances and bound the jar up in bundles of paper and tape before tossing it once again into the flames. Thus trapped the creature did not survive.
What Leon and Rebecca had encountered was a Megarian Banded Centipede, known in Spain as the scolopendra (or escolopendra). Said by some to be the worst creature you are ever likely to come upon in southern Europe, the scolopendra is a type of centipede and resembles something from the special effects department of a Hollywood movie. It is yellow with black stripes with pincers at the head end loaded with venom that deliver a very nasty bite. Modified claws curve around the head. The body itself is composed of around 20 segments, each with its own set of legs.
Unfortunately for you and I, this is a creature that we are quite likely to run into sooner or later. Almost anyone who has lived in Andalucía for any length of time has an anecdote relating to an encounter with a scolopendra. You see, scolopendras want the same as us – somewhere warm and dry to live and a nice place to curl up. And it is around this time of year domestic encounters reach their peak.
Indeed, only last week as the Olive Press was putting the finishing touches to the latest edition of the paper, something prehistoric stirred in the corner of the office. After a few minutes of watching it with a mixture of horror and curiosity, we decided that the best place for the creature was back outside where presumably he had come from.
Stories of encounters abound. Damian, living in La Alpujarra, found one in his sock when he put it on one morning while Andy, an electrician, noticed one crawling up his trouser leg as he sat at a table rolling a cigarette.
Fortunately for Leon, Andy and Damian quick reactions meant they avoided being bitten. English naturalist Charles Owen wrote in 1740 about the effects of a scolopendra bite:
“Its Weapons of Mischief are much the same as those of the Spider, only much larger; its Bite is very tormenting, and produces not only pruriginous Pain in the Fleshe, but very often Distractions of the Minde”
Fast forward 267 years and Philip – a guitar player in a local punk band – can fully relate to this. He takes up the story: “We’d been playing a gig in the riverbed one night and were all sleeping in tents. I woke up in the night to find a scolopendra in my sleeping bag, which subsequently bit me on the cheek as I tried to escape. It was agony. My whole head swelled up and I was feverish for two days.”
An insect eating a mammal
So just what is it about the scolopendra that makes it so universally loathed? Just about everything, it seems. From its dangerous looking stripes and the fluid way it moves to those nasty mandibles and its predilection for attacking first. A zoological text describes the creature as “aggressive” – and it is not meant as an insult. The scolopendra adopts a policy of bite first ask questions later when it comes to encounters with other species. And, make no mistake; this centipede does not mess around when it comes to encounters with other creatures.
Undertaking research on the internet, I came a across a grisly video – the ultimate stuff of nightmares. Someone, somewhere has engineered a film of a scolopendra (possibly his pet) attacking and then eating a cute-looking white mouse (possibly his ex-girlfriend’s pet). Yes – an insect eating an entire mammal in one go. For those of you ghoulish enough to want to see this rodent snuff movie have a look at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CL2hetqpfg and don’t say I didn’t warn you…
But not everyone dislikes the scolopendra. In fact, taking a quick walk through cyberspace, it becomes apparent there are legions of adorers of this venomous arthropod. Many people do indeed choose to have them as pets in their own homes and give them goofy names like Tinkerbell and lovingly feed them live lizards. Some foolish souls even post photos of themselves with their cherished pets coiled up on their shoulders or hanging by the mandibles from their fingertips. And should you ever find a nice large specimen coiled up in your own bed/boot/underpants then rest assured that, after you have recovered from the venomous bite, you can trap the scaly fiend, pack it in a breathable jiffy bag and sell it on the internet for up to 40 euros. Most buyers seem to live in Germany, for some reason.
And if you do ever have the misfortune to get bitten by one you can give thanks for these two things: a) the bite may hurt a lot and you may well need an antihistamine but it is not considered dangerous b)…unless you have been bitten by the Peruvian Giant Yellow Centipede (the European scolopendra’s big cousin) that grows as long as your arm and can jump high enough to catch birds – in which case you had better call the doctor.
If you have had any scary scolopendra anecdotes or pictures please share them with jon@theolivepress.es
Factfile
- Name: scolopendra cingulata
- Habitat: Rocky, arid environment around Mediterranean
- Eats: Insects, lizards, other arthropods
- Active: Mostly nocturnal
- Captivity: Clear plastic container with air holes and peat floor. Interior decor not required.
- To demobilise: Place in fridge for one hour
- If bitten: Apply an icepack and wait for swelling to subside. If headaches and dizziness follow (extremely rare) seek emergency assistance
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Hi,
The centipede in the video is not a Spanish Megarian banded centipede. It is more like a captive giant centipede probably from South America. I think it is a bit unfair to portray the Spanish centipede in this way. It is not generally seen and is mostly harmless as creatures go. To portray it an evil attacking thing is wrong. They generally go about their business unseen and unknown about and are an important part of an ecosystem… The fact that people are building houses in the territories of these animals is the fault of the people not the animals…
Spanish Megarian Banded Centipedes do not grow to 30 CM (“a foot long”)in length… A full grown adult (A very rare sight)would be around 20 CM.
There is more chance of you being stung by a bee than being bitten by a centipede and the reaction could be a lot worse from a bee sting.
A little perspective is needed if you are going to write about the animals that live in Spain…
Sue
I used to live in Spain, and one day where i was doing the usual knocking down ruin buildings and building them back up, anyway came back from work took my clothes off dumped them over the chair, jumped on the bed and went to sleep.
Woke up to my surprise to find something tickling my privates, whacked down my boxers to find this 8inch scolopendra, i belted it off and i was in shock i ran around the house before going back and catching it in a jar…
Anyway gone back to Spain to visit my mum where all along she said my dog Zeus (Dobermann) was fine etc et, i surprise her one day turning up and then she then tells me he is dead 6ft under, died by a centipede…..
I’m in Spain now and only found out yesterday, so i thought i would research this evil thing a little more when i come across this website where i thought I’d share my experience.
Thanks for an interesting article, Jason. I looked this critter up online because we live close to Cartagena, Murcia, and, in contradiction to Sue’s assertions above that we hardly ever see these centipedes, I have had close encounters with at least half a dozen in as many months, mostly indoors in the old farmhouse where we live.
I’m sure, Sue, that they are a part of the ecosystem, but like it or not, so are we humans, and I for one don’t relish being stung by a bee (the pain of which you compare to this centipede’s) and no more do I want to risk being bitten by one of these creatures. The ones I have encountered have ended up flushed down the toilet or walloped with a rock. Sorry, ecosystem.
One of these ran up my trouser leg yesterday, it tried to nip me but I screamed and jumped about so much it went flying across the kitchen, got caught in my shoe so chucked it into the neighbours garden!
Having lived in rural Spain for fourteen years I had until now only heard stories of these creatures.I am now astonished to state that my house suddenly seems infested with these creatures ! (as in we have found six in less than a week!)
The largest measured 5 inches long and had bitten a guest in her bed !
We are now checking the beds every night.
Does anyone know how to prevent these creatures from entering the house ? I dont particularly want to kill them , we cope quite well with snakes by catching them and releasing them in the fields but as for the centipedes !!!
I also live in spain(on outskirts of Torrevieja, Alicante) so not at all rural, and have seen 4 of these things in my swimming pool, thankfully always at the bottom!, but have never known what they were….
that was until today, when we found one hiding in my youngests tweenies sleeping bag that she likes to lay in (although god knows why in this heat!)
i dont think it stung her, thankfully, as she doesnt have any swelling or anything, but for some strange reason she is still awake now, its nearly 2am, and she has developed a high temperature and snotty nose…coincidence or not??
but anyway, its not something iwant a close encounter with again!
Hi I wonder if you can give me advice please. About 3 months ago I was bitten whilst asleep on my chest. I had a massive red lump appear at the site and suffered a burning and itching sensation. When I cleared underneath my bed I noticed one of these centipedes. About 4 days ago again whilst sleeping i noticed a raised red area on my neck again very itchy and burning the pain radiated around the left side of my neck then to the right. I felt dizzy, and had no energy at all my muscles felt really weak too. Could you please let me know if you think that this could be another bite from one of these centipedes as the mark has disappeard although there is a slight very slight discolouration around the area i was bitten. infact i can only notice it. I didnt go to the doctors at first but my friend was very worried about me and took me today because I still felt a little light headed and nauseous I took an article with me to show them what i thought had bitten me. They told me there was nothing wrong. They took my vital signs bp 102/73 sats 97% but didnt take my pulse which was 101. I am currently living in Corfu Greece and i do have medical background although not with poisionous animals as i am a registered nurse. Any information you could give me would be grateley appreciated. Thanks
Just returned from a great visit to family villa in Andalucian mountains behind Torrox. Have seen a couple of these creatures around there before. Middle of one night the pump under the house broke – shooting water everywhere. Whilst holding the torch for my husband, I felt something bite my bare foot – not too bad, but a definite pinch and, in the torch beam, saw a giant centipede (4-5ish inches) run across my foot and scuttle off. When I was able to examine my foot in good light it looked like the skin was not broken but I had a mini sticky black “oilslick” across my foot which was very difficult to get off. I was told several days later by a Spanish resident that a bite can be very dangerous so I don’t think I got a proper one but would love to know if the black stuff was venom that missed!! There was no “oil” anywhere else – just water!!
Hi All,
My girlfreind just had a scary encounter with one of these creatures from hell.
I live in southern Andalucia.
You wouldn’t belive it, but we had just finished a movie (horror of all things) and were stilling in the sofa when a I felt something crawling up my arm. I looked down and then jumped about a metre into the air as I brushed off a huge centipede from my arm.
My girlfriend thought I was amking a joke until she saw this long beast running over the floor in full sprint for the bathroom.
Lights turned, on, much ranting and raving for the insect spray and “keep your bloody eye on that thing!”.
It seemed to disappear inside the door jam and I started to think, “oh crap, this things gonna share the house with me now tonight”. Lucky for us, but unfortunatly not so lucky for it, it can back out of the door jam and received ½ a can of insect spray. Even then it still kicked around for 10 to 15 minutes before croaking…
This is a bloody horrible creature – and screw the eco system inside my house – where can I find a bug guy to gas my house?
Now to completely check the bedroom before a night of uneasy dreams…
Pete
Dont be fooled by kind remarks about these creatures!
They attack easily, their bite hurts like blazes and can cause severe swelling of the surrounding area. I live in the Cartagena Campa and believe me, come this time of the year, these “friends” pop up in bedding, cupboards, in fact anywhere we are!
The largest we have encountered was in fact 22cms long!!Others have been only slightly shorter. Needless to say I do not selll them on the Internet…………..
I live in Almeria, Mojacar Playa to be exact, so not at all rural. I have just had a close encounter with one of these beasties, about 17cm long, it quite happily strolled past my foot as I was sitting at the computer and went on it’s merry way towards the downstairs bathroom. (While I stood on the chair!!) I shouted for my partner to come down and see what I’d found! We had just about every receptical out of the kitchen cupboards looking for something to catch the bloody thing in. Eventually got it (after a few photos that is) and I let it go up in the campo. I’ve lived here for over three years now and until just this last few weeks had never even seen one, but just lately I’ve caught my cats playing with something in the street a few times and found it to be one of these Scolopendras, which I take it could be fatal for a small animal. Yuuuukkkkk all creeped out now. Will have to check the whole house before going to bed.
Still recovering from 3 bites I got last night actually. And this one was the smallest I’ve seen, at around 4 inches. Due to the intense heat, last night was the first time I’d managed to get to sleep but probably only due to exhaustion. Woke at 4am to find I have 3 painful bites (and blood from the point of impacts) but didn’t find the bu**er til the morning when it was cowering under my bed.
The ecosystem is also missing one more I am afraid to say, when a stamping sensation in my left foot left it’s brains resembling a Jackson Pollock all over my tiled floor!
I have lived in rural Lorca, Murcia for seven years and these creatures are a regular occurance in our house. We NEVER get into bed without turning the pillows and shaking out the duvet. We have five dogs and I’m worried sick that one of them will discover a Scolopendras before I do. We use practically a whole can of insecticide on each one then chuck it into the undergrowth outside. We have never been bitten (Luckily) and I´m not sure of the effect their venom has on dogs. Does anyone know? Also, do they nest and lay eggs? if so, I will strip my house from top to bottom to try to eradicate these things. It´s almost a daily occurance at this time of year although we have also had them in the house at Christmastime. THEY ARE HUGE!
i live just outside cartagena in the campo and we have regular visits from these critters in the house. all the official websites say they are up to 10 cm and not aggresive well all i can say is that most we see are a good 20cm long (measured ) and i can vouch for the pain of the bite as i had one bite my arm while watching t.v last week. i am quite paranoid about them now and do all the usual shaking out of boots and bed inspections.thankfully the one that bit me was a baby only 10cm had it been mum or dad i´d probably still be in the hospital !!
I lived in Mojacar Almeria for a year in 1984. I rented a new build villa not far from the playa and was awoken one evening by my dog barking.
I went into the living room and switched the light on. Only a few inches away from the lightswitch was one of these nasty centipedes. It was approx 4 to 5 inches long and what worried me most was the scorpion like tail.
I decided to catch the creature in an empty coffee jar so as I could show it to my housemates in the morning.
The following morning we found a second one underneath the folding doors. It was smaller than the first.
I decided to put this one in the jar also and intended to release them both later in the day. When I put the second one into the jar it immediately clung to the first one and bit it’s head off! It then sucked the insides out of it and grew a good inch or so in the process.
They are scary creatures indeed. Best avoided.
“It then sucked the insides out of it and grew a good inch or so in the process.”
Do you watch a lot of sci-fi, Vin?
l live in Paphos in Cyprus, about a month ago l had a Megarian Banded Centipede slither into my settee, which is the only word l can use to describe the way it moved, it was so fast. lt was about 4 to 5 ins long. l still havent found it, even though l have now put a glue trap under the settee. l havent had a decent nights sleep since.To make matters worse l had one in the bathroom last night. much smaller than the first. Please God, tell me they are not breeding.
I really think that some of the poeple posting here need to get a life or at least a house rather than the sheds they appear to live in. I have lived in the campo for 8 years. I found one of these creatures the day we moved in after the house was finished .I find the odd one in the garden or under pots on the terrace, but have yet to find another inside the house.
The times i visit freinds in the campo and see a gap under doors that a limbo dancer could get under. You need to secure your property from pests ,get a cat or two living outside , and live with nature.
Insects have complete control of the planet; they could take over tomorrow if they wished. All of these creatures have been in houses in the campo at one time or another, and just because you don’t see them doesn’t mean they are not present – you just need to be a bit vigilant. Humans are far more dangerous lol.
Does anyone know the ‘folklore’ or legends of these bugs from the locals?
I hate bugs so my wife was cleaning out the back of our house in berja. Suddenly she screamed! I ran out to find one of these fearsome Megarian Banded Centipedes facing me. It reared up as i approached and i’d swear it winked at me. Must have been about 6-8 inches long. Fortunately I was able to flick it out the back door with the brush. We’ve got a courtyard in the centre of the house full of weeds and junk which we were going to clear, think i’ll pay some locals to do it instead!!!
“It reared up as i approached”
What, all 2 inches of it?
We live in the campo inland on the Costa del Sol. I woke up at three in the morning, jumped out of bed, swearing that something had stung me in the back of my knee, my wife (who nearly had a heart attack) reckoned I had been dreaming as there was no marks and I was in no pain, eventually went back to sleep.
Got up later on and put on a T-shirt and felt a sharp pain in my arm (like a wasp sting), threw the shirt off and found a escolopendra about five inches long run (of course they run fast, they’ve a hundred legs). Captured it, cut it in half and it still ran around (though not as fast). It left two puncture wounds on my arm and immediately started to swell with intense pain that lasted for a good hour, I took an anti-histamine, and anti-inflamatory cream and Aloe Vera. I will be shaking my clothes and bedding in future.
Spotted this bugger wriggling across the floor. The dog also spotted it and he stamped on it! It has stopped wriggling now but not sure where it was heading…..Reading the reports from others this must have been an infant Megarian Centipede…so where are it’s Mum and Dad….Oh No!
http://algorfa.co.uk/Images/centipede.jpg
Hi John, is Jenny your dog ?