Why do Peruvian Giant Centipede babies eat the mom?

[Neo]

What's the purpose of it? Is it in order to give the babies nutrients to set off for the new world? Couldn't we just separate and feed them instead?

Any successes in separating them BEFORE mom gets taken out?

Will the mom act normal if she Doesn't get eaten? (Like "omg why am I not dead?! Now I gotta be dramatic and kill myself because nature is telling me to" etc etc.

Any idea when it happens? Instar / how many weeks until it usually happens?


Referring to Sp White Leg, Scolopendra Galap black and orange forms, Gigantea.

 

[Jumbie Spider]

Not specific to centipedes, but I found this which I think could also apply (just swap Spiders with Centipedes) - just found from a quick search but thought it was interesting.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matriphagy

Spiders that engage in matriphagy produce offspring with higher weights, shorter and earlier moulting time, larger body mass at dispersal, and higher survival rates than clutches deprived of matriphagy. In some species, matriphagous offspring were also more successful at capturing large prey items and had a higher survival rate at dispersal. These benefits to offspring outweigh the cost of survival to the mothers and help ensure that her genetic material is passed to the next generation, thus perpetuating the behavior.

 

[Neo]

^ I mean, if that's the case then the mom's death can be prevented by separating her out early. My biggest fear is, I don't recall where I got this but it pops in my mind, is that eating the mom gives the babies some bacteria in her stomach that helps them digest certain things, basically it's a vital bacteria that they only get through eating her. Now that's a lot more tricky. Though I don't recall where that's from or if my memory is all mixed up.

Since they're living in captivity, us pretty much hand holding them through life puts a wrench in natural selection and telling Darwin to back up, we can just fatten them up ourselves, maybe even better so.

 

[Jumbie Spider]

^ You have to decide if the juice is worth the squeeze. On one hand you lose a potentially prized female specimen, on the other you gain potentially dozens of fresh females to work with.
I guess you could try swapping the mother out for a hot dog and see what happens.

 

[Neo]

^ You have to decide if the juice is worth the squeeze. On one hand you lose a potentially prized female specimen, on the other you gain potentially dozens of fresh females to work with.
I guess you could try swapping the mother out for a hot dog and see what happens.

Yeah, but what I'm getting at is that we lose NEITHER. It's like someone's asking you if you want A: A cup of Ramen in chocolate cookies mixed in and B: Rice with Milk , which do you choose...instead of choosing one, you choose both.
If the mom dies to fatten up the babies and there's nothing else, then save her and fatten up the babies with stuff that centipedes eat anyway.

Unless what I mention about vital bacteria or something similar is true, then I don't see why not.

 

[Jumbie Spider]

It would be an interesting experiment for sure

 

[aviva]

Centipedes: Scolopendra Galapagoensis (bugzuk.com) says... This is an unusual Giant Centipede in that the babies naturally eat the mother, going through an extra nymph stage, meaning they emerge from the nest at a large size, and are quite hardy. They are quite easy to care for and feed, and grow fairly quickly, reaching up to 6� in their first year of age.

 

[Neo]

^ Nice. Wow, 6 in a year, would fit the white leg I've been keeping, def getting up there. Thank you.

Still wondering if it eats the mom just for nourishment or if there's any beneficial bacterias, boosted immunity etc that they can only get by doing so.

 

[Jumbie Spider]

^ Nice. Wow, 6 in a year, would fit the white leg I've been keeping, def getting up there. Thank you.

Still wondering if it eats the mom just for nourishment or if there's any beneficial bacterias, boosted immunity etc that they can only get by doing so.

More than 6 inch in a year if you do it right.

 

[Comatose]

The mother dies, or at least undergoes a change and begins to die, before the babies eat her. I believe someone has tried this before, but regardless the outcome would be dead mother and dead babies. Regardless of the reason for the adaptation, it clearly exists for all South American giants and is a necessary part of their lifecycle.

 

[mantisfan101]

For eresiids where the slings eat the mother, her internal organs begin to liquify/decompose., so there’s really no point in separating them. Not worth it to separate with pedes either imo

 

[Neo]

^ Reply to the two posts above:

Yeah, I talked to another breeder that said a long time ago when they were cheaper, he experimented with a few stuff and also opt that there's little way to go around it and that I shouldn't separate. Also, you guys adding that. It's kind of like the velvet spiders. Quite sad. I'm usually feeling pity for the males but in this case, that sucks too for the female. Quite a shame