Giant Red-headed Centipede
Scolopendra heros
Emerged from beneath an overturned dead plant in Montosa Canyon, Sta. Rita Mts, Arizona, USA. 28 July 2013. Length is about 20 cm.
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It is a bit disquieting to behold a predacious arthropod that is capable of predating a warm-blooded, possibly sentient animal. The lightning speed doesn't help. But, caution is in order as well because this centipede can inflict a painful sting using the modified first pair of legs. This specimen has the reverse color pattern of the more frequent variant, which has the namesake red head and bluish body.