Scolopendra galapagoensis

[Alonso99]

Hi Does anyone have any info on these pedes? And are they available in the trade?

 

[MrDeranged]

Haven't ever heard of them. Sorry dude.

Scott

 

[Alonso99]

Scott

This is the so called Galapagos island giant centipede, gets pretty big like a Peruvian. Anyone know more about them>

 

[zoobugs]

Even if they exist, everything from the Galapagos Islands is protected from collection.

 

[Alonso99]

Why would it not exist.
http://home.mcyork.com/galapagos/normal/default.htm?image=bigcenti.jpg

 

[Cooper]

I found a site that said it had reliable reports of ones over 25".....

 

[Henry Kane]

Can you share a link?

Atrax

 

[Static_69]

reports of ones over 25 inches???
I sorta find that hard to believe.





Risto

 

[tabor]

i dont know Risto... they do have those turtles down there that get huge and live forever. Kinda like in that one movie 'Neverending Story' when the main character thinks he's on a mountain but hes really on a huge turtle that talks and is allergic to humans. What im trying to say is: based on what ive learned from a movie where the main character has a flying dog as a friend and a thing i saw on animal planet about those huge turtles... a two foot centipede could totally happen, theres all kinds of wierd stuff oging on down there man...

 

[tabor]

uhhhhhh

wait actually... i was thinking about it, a 25" pede would have to eat a lot of cricket-sized bugs to survive. it doesnt seem practical that a pede would evolve to get that large for no good reason. what benefit would a 25" pede have over a 12" pede? it would just have to spend more time hunting for food. and since it doesnt seem practical that something that big would subside entirely upon crickets and small rodents, it would hve to go for bigger prey.

This bigger prey wouldnt be as easy to kill as the crickets and mice and probably has a higher chance of tearing the pede up when the pede starts to nibble on his leg. When you think about it the pede really doesnt have a good defense system, just its bite... which is effective against smaller things, but imagine if one of these bigger pedes went after a chicken or something, my moneys on the chicken even if it will die later after killing the pede from the bite. so i kinda think theres a size limit on pedes based on the whole source of food thing.. and the chickens.

but yeah i dont know,its 3:30 in the morning and ive never had a biology class, but damnit that seems to make sense.

 

[Steven]

wasn't that the scientific correct name for the species known as Scolopendra gigantea robusta (wich was incorrect cause it's not a subspecie from gigantea's) :?

i thought it was "Mister Internet" who has told that,.....


greetz

 

[Cooper]

Hre is the link



http://www.tarantulaspiders.com/pages/centipedegallery.htm

keep going down until you see it

David Cooper

 

[Static_69]

this is from cooper's link, this little section is from the description area of "Scolopendra galapagoensis."

"Rumored to be the largest centipede on earth! I've heard of a authentic report from a scientist of 25" !!!"


He's heard an authentic report...God only knows how many times the story was passed through other people and changed before it finally got to him.



Risto

 

[Cooper]

well you never know......

it's not as if people have studied it extensively.
Even so, it is cool to imagine a two foot centipede......



David Cooper

 

[Kugellager]

I'd be willing to bet that it was actually 25cm and somehow got mis-translated or changed from the original size...before you know it you have a 25" pede instead of e 25cm one. Now 25cm would be about 10" which would not be difficult to believe at all and seems well within the realm of believability.

John
];')

 

[Cooper]

That is a good suggestion, but I guess we will have to wait to know for sure.......

David Cooper

 

[Steven]

I'd be willing to bet that it was actually 25cm and somehow got mis-translated or changed from the original size...before you know it you have a 25" pede instead of e 25cm one. Now 25cm would be about 10" which would not be difficult to believe at all and seems well within the realm of believability

i would go with that mistake
25" is a bit to much of pede madness to believe
25 cm is more common i guess

Then again i looked at his leggs and they seem to be banded, if it's correct that the galapagoenis is a other name for Scolopendra gigantea robusta, i've never seen a gigantea species that has banded leggs, can someone clear this one out :? :? :?

 

[Cooper]

Still........

Look at the reeds and grass and stuff in the picture, this thing just looks immense, but whatever, I think it is very unlikely that it is 25". But still, that would be cool! I have no clue about the banded legs though:? Anyhoo, nobody will really be able to prove that website right or wrong unless they get a permit and all that and go look for the thing.

You first

David Cooper

 

[Poecilotheria]

I think its likely for a pede to be that big. Out there, everythings evolved from when it came out to the islands, so they must've evolved to catch bigger food. I know there are a ton of small birds out there, besides iguanas, and tortoises, I'm not sure what else is out there but there has to be something. About 4-5 different kinds of land organisims in one place, even if its an island sounds pretty unlikely.
Steve

 

[Phillip]

Although you can't rule out possibility...

I find it kind of hard to believe with as much study as has been done on the Galapagos species that they have somehow not noticed a 2 foot pede for all this time. Sorry but I have to go with the screwed up conversion being the most likely. With all the biologists who have done studies of one or more animals there someone would have noticed one of these monsters by now if they were there I believe.

Phil