Centipede

My Home: I prefer dark, damp environments and
you will find me under leaves, bark, and logs or
in your basement. I am most active at night
unless I am disturbed in my hiding places.

What I eat: I use my venomous
jaws to catch and eat other insects,
stunning or killing my prey with the poison.

What I look like: I am flat, reddish brown in color
and usually around 1 inch in length. My first pair of
legs are modified venomous jaws that I use to catch
other insects. If you pick me up, I may bite. I have a
single pair of legs on every segment of my body.

How I am born: I go through 2 stages of development:
egg and small adult. My egg is laid in the soil during the
warm summer months and the females care for my egg until I hatch. Adult centipedes will protect my egg nests. When I hatch I look just like a small adult. To grow I shed my skin which is called molting, adding a pair of legs each time I molt. I can live up to five years.