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Sticker of Indian tiger centipede
Bug card No. 0774 of 1,500

Indian tiger centipede

Scolopendra hardwickei
Eats: Other bugs and small animalsCentipedes and millipedesRainforests and junglesNot an insect, but a bug cousin

The Indian tiger centipede is one of the most colourful centipedes in the world. Its body has stripes of bright orange and deep black, just like a tiger. It is big too, as long as a pencil is to its tip.

Fun fact: this one is not an insect. Insects have six legs, and this cousin has many, many more.
Lives in
Southern India, and rarely on the islands of Sumatra and Nicobar
Length
16 cm (6.3 in)
the biggest ones
Top speed
about 3.5 km/h (2.2 mph)
On foot, estimate
Can it hurt you?
Dangerous: look, do not touch

Watch out! Read all about it on Venom Wiki →

What does it eat?
Like all centipedes, it is a hunter that catches other small animals.
For real!Photo of Indian tiger centipede
Picture by Hectonichus. CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

How big is it?

How long is it?

Indian tiger centipede about 16 cm long (6.3 in)A crayon about 9 cm (3.5 in)A banana about 18 cm (7.1 in)A house cat about 50 cm (20 in)
as long as 5 toy building bricks in a rowabout as long as your handcould run across a dinner table in 1 seconds

How big is Indian tiger centipede compared to YOU?

Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.

How fast is it?

cool stuff

Fun facts

1

It can grow up to 16 centimetres long.

2

Even its legs, head and feelers are dark orange.

3

Each feeler has 17 or 18 little parts, and the first ones near the head are shiny.

you asked

Most asked questions about Indian tiger centipede

?How big is the Indian tiger centipede?

It can grow up to 16 centimetres long.

?Where does the Indian tiger centipede live?

Mostly in the south of India.

For bug experts

Scientific name
Scolopendra hardwickei
Group
Centipedes and millipedes
Family
Scolopendridae
Classification
Chilopoda > Scolopendromorpha > Scolopendridae
Lives on
Asia

Where the facts come from

  1. Scolopendra hardwickei (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
  2. Picture by Hectonichus. CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons. The round sticker of this bug is cut from the same picture.

If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

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