Scutigera Coleoptera molted!!

Mister Internet

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Hey all,

My Scutigera molted today! Here's the kicker... it's outside in my garage in its jar, right now, eating its exuvium!!! I've never seen a picture of this... I took our MiniDV that has a still cam function and snapped a few pics.... we'll see if any of them turn out. WILL POST TOMORROW IF THEY DID! :)


WOOOHOOO... sorry... it was just really exciting to see. He must have grown almot 50% body length from this molt, though... he's a lot bigger now... :)
 

johns

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I may be mistaken, Mr. I- but centipedes almost always eat their molts. Can anyone confirm or deny this?

Settle down there, Mr. Internet:) - you're becoming obsessive like 76% of the rest of us !;)
 

Mister Internet

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Yeah, I knew the big scolos did... I didn't know for sure that the Scutigeras did or not, and I've certainly never seen pics of it... maybe I could sell them... ;)
 

johns

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I'll buy...

'em. Reckon how much you want for the "scutie" pics?<expertly takes aim, and spits in his spitoon>:)
 

Mister Internet

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Eh, I'll make a gesture of goodwill to the community and post them HERE... left my @$%@#$% USB cable at work, or I'd pull them off my camera right now! I'll try to have them up by midmorning CST... was just kidding about the whole money thing... ;)

Even so, this town ain't big enuff fer the two of us *shakes holster* *rattles spurs*
 

MrDeranged

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As far as I've heard, the eating of the molts is an artifact of captivity. I do not believe that they eat them in the wild as I have heard stories of people having the crap scared out of them when coming across exuvia of some of the larger Scolopendra. Of course you have to take this with a grain of salt, because I don't see how anyone can be scared of a crumpled up skin. When they molt, the exuvia, while in one piece looks very accordian like in the way that it is compressed. The molt is not stretched out and looks nothing like an actual centipede in my opinion....

Scott
 

Mister Internet

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Huh, I've never heard the artifact of captivity view before... it's an interesting thought... I can imagine people getting scared of the molts, though... people I was with were always TERRIFIED at a snakeskin when I've found them in the past... like it's going to bite them or something? :rolleyes:

BTW, I came to work, and discovered that my USB cable actually WAS at home, and went home to get it over lunch, only to come back to work forgetting the driver CD... I'll get them up tonight... sheesh... :)
 

Mister Internet

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DUM DUM DUUUUMMMMMMMM!

Well, here it is... only one of them turned out well enough to make out anything. That's what I get for only having a MagLite as key AND fill lighting... :) C'est la vie... here's the pic:
 
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MrDeranged

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Is that a cricket I see in there with your freshy molted pede????

Tsk Tsk Tsk.... Shame on you....:?

Scott ;P
 

Mister Internet

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Yes, a very DEAD cricket that had been in there for a couple of days... my pet store ran out of pinheads, and this guy didn't seem to like eating the bigger medium size ones.... I wasn't sure why, exactly ... anyway, I crushed a cricket's head and stuck him in there earlier this past weekend to try to get it to eat something until I could get pinheads again, and he molted in the meantime.... which would explain why he wasn't eating. :)

Anyway, I didn't think to take it out of the jar before snapping the pix because I was in a rush... but is a DEAD DEAD DEAD cricket, and I promptly removed it after I was done taking pics. :)
 
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Mister Internet

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Pic take 2

Here's what 10 seconds with Photoshop can do :) Again, re: above post, this had been edited for aesthetics only, I did NOT have a live crik in there with my pede! :)
 
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