lethal centipede?

SonsofArachne

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This can't be right, anybody here heard of this? I Googled this and can't find any other source than this Nat. Geo. photographer. The fact that he uses "sting" shows that he most likely doesn't know what he's talking about.

"A centipede on Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea. This species’ sting is lethal within two hours."
https://www.joelsartore.com/ani079-00010/
 

Chris LXXIX

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The only lethal 'sting' I know is that annoying English singer, for that 'pedes bites you, God damn it :)

With that said, I still personally think (think) that Asian 'pedes such S.subspinipes, S.dehaani etc venom potency can potentially kill a little children (babies to 4/5 years ones) without issues if the bite occur in a delicate area.
 

REEFSPIDER

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The only lethal 'sting' I know is that annoying English singer, for that 'pedes bites you, God damn it :)

With that said, I still personally think (think) that Asian 'pedes such S.subspinipes, S.dehaani etc venom potency can potentially kill a little children (babies to 4/5 years ones) without issues if the bite occur in a delicate area.
I agree with you bro, small children or elderly people or just people with existing immune deficiency could potentially die from asian pedes.
 

NYAN

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Spinosissima is the only Pede which is known to have contributed to killing someone. A little girl was bitten on the head and died shortly after. As for a pede regularly being deadly, that seems fishy at best. Maybe the people drown themselves rather than endure the pain from a bite, but that’s it.
 

Chris LXXIX

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Spinosissima is the only Pede which is known to have contributed to killing someone. A little girl was bitten on the head and died shortly after. As for a pede regularly being deadly, that seems fishy at best. Maybe the people drown themselves rather than endure the pain from a bite, but that’s it.
According to Wikipedia (even if I know that isn't exactly the best source) a little girl died in the Philippines for a S.subspinipes bite in the neck/head area (now I don't remember exactly if was head or neck).

As I've said, that info can be a bogus one, stil.
 

NYAN

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According to Wikipedia (even if I know that isn't exactly the best source) a little girl died in the Philippines for a S.subspinipes bite in the neck/head area (now I don't remember exactly if was head or neck).

As I've said, that info can be a bogus one, stil.
Same case, but from what I heard it was spinosissima.
 

SonsofArachne

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I would think it might be possible for a centipede to be that lethal, but the fact that I couldn't find any other source than this photographer (not scientist) leads me to believe that this is hearsay and has never been tested. Or in other words a load of crap.
 

NYAN

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Another thing I would like to point out is that most of not all medically significant spiders and scorpions take more than 2 hours to kill someone. Even many snakes, which inject a larger volume and a more mammal targeting venom take longer than that.
 

Elytra and Antenna

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Has anyone tried to contact the photo seller to ask if it is a purposeful or accidental lie?
 

SonsofArachne

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Has anyone tried to contact the photo seller to ask if it is a purposeful or accidental lie?
I doubt if its purposeful. More likely he took someone's word for it. I've looked further into his project "The Photo Ark" which is to photograph every species in human care in 25 years. So far he's taken 27,520 photos of 8,485 species. Not surprising he has little time for research. I searched tarantula's and centipede's in his photo gallery and noticed several misidentified species in just a couple minutes. If he's trying document these species a good start would be labeling them accurately.
 
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LeFanDesBugs

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Guys, don't be so certain when stating that there are no lethal pedes.. there are. Large dehaani (8"+) certainly are a threat. With laotian and thai variants being the biggest ones (up to 11" BL) and having the most potent venom out of the different locales, there certainly are killers within this species. Many deaths must have been undocumented by the way.
Moreover, several species are yet to be "tested". A malaysian species, known as malaysian tiger or riau giant, is said to be even more potent than dehaani and to cause many deaths where it originates from.

I currently own a specimen of Scolopendra subspinipes "Borneo black". The species is feared by the locals, way more so than the regular variants that also occur in the same area. A local hunter, on instagram, when he saw one of my posts showing it off PM'd me urging me to never handle her.. makes you think twice. He says a friend of his died in the forest while collecting, bitten by one of those. Nothing certain for sure, but it's definitely to be considered.
Last but not least, this legendary Filipino species with the blue legs has the same reputation amongst the locals; they are considered to be lethal.

Maybe @Staehilomyces can chime in and bring more info to the table?
 

SonsofArachne

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Guys, don't be so certain when stating that there are no lethal pedes.. there are. Large dehaani (8"+) certainly are a threat. With laotian and thai variants being the biggest ones (up to 11" BL) and having the most potent venom out of the different locales, there certainly are killers within this species. Many deaths must have been undocumented by the way.
Moreover, several species are yet to be "tested". A malaysian species, known as malaysian tiger or riau giant, is said to be even more potent than dehaani and to cause many deaths where it originates from.

I currently own a specimen of Scolopendra subspinipes "Borneo black". The species is feared by the locals, way more so than the regular variants that also occur in the same area. A local hunter, on instagram, when he saw one of my posts showing it off PM'd me urging me to never handle her.. makes you think twice. He says a friend of his died in the forest while collecting, bitten by one of those. Nothing certain for sure, but it's definitely to be considered.
Last but not least, this legendary Filipino species with the blue legs has the same reputation amongst the locals; they are considered to be lethal.

Maybe @Staehilomyces can chime in and bring more info to the table?
I read where in Cameroon the locals believed chameleons were venomous. The point being until these claims are tested I would take them with a grain of salt. That being said, I would be careful around any venomous animal whose toxicity level is unknown.
 
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basin79

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I read a where in Cameroon the locals believed chameleons were venomous. The point being until these claims are tested I would take them with a grain of salt. That being said, I would be careful around any venomous animal whose toxicity level is unknown.
Indeed.

There's also the chance some humans bit by a venomous invert could have already been fighting something internally without even knowing.

The very start of a cold. A virus that hadn't made itself aware. Any venom would have a greater affect.

Of course that's a guess. I never handle my pedes. Just not worth the risk. Hell they could have bacteria on them that gets into your system via a bite.
 

Chris LXXIX

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Guys, don't be so certain when stating that there are no lethal pedes.. there are. Large dehaani (8"+) certainly are a threat. With laotian and thai variants being the biggest ones (up to 11" BL) and having the most potent venom out of the different locales, there certainly are killers within this species. Many deaths must have been undocumented by the way.
Moreover, several species are yet to be "tested". A malaysian species, known as malaysian tiger or riau giant, is said to be even more potent than dehaani and to cause many deaths where it originates from.

I currently own a specimen of Scolopendra subspinipes "Borneo black". The species is feared by the locals, way more so than the regular variants that also occur in the same area. A local hunter, on instagram, when he saw one of my posts showing it off PM'd me urging me to never handle her.. makes you think twice. He says a friend of his died in the forest while collecting, bitten by one of those. Nothing certain for sure, but it's definitely to be considered.
Last but not least, this legendary Filipino species with the blue legs has the same reputation amongst the locals; they are considered to be lethal.

Maybe @Staehilomyces can chime in and bring more info to the table?
I love this, and I would love to hear about a lethal 'pede! :)
 

Staehilomyces

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A Riau giant does in my opinion have the potential to be lethal, especially against a child or senior.
Also, imagine the bite from this dehaani:
IMG_1568.JPG
 
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