centipedes

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Watch: Tarantula Seen Eating Opossum for First Time
Spiders' Eating Habits
Surprise Researchers
new study

Spiders' Eating Habits Surprise Researchers

One is spotted feasting on an opossum in the Amazon

(Newser) - Scientists watched on in amazement as a dinner-plate-sized tarantula in the Amazon was seen eating an opossum for the first time. "We were pretty ecstatic and shocked, and we couldn't really believe what we were seeing," says Michael Grundler of the University of Michigan. The finding, recorded...

Scientists Find Amphibious Centipede—and It's Horrible

At least it keeps to Southeast Asia

(Newser) - It's eight inches long with a painful bite, long legs, and "a horrible dark, greenish-black color." It's also bound to make you avoid all lakes and streams for the near future. Gregory Edgecombe of London's Natural History Museum says he's discovered a new species...

The Internet Encounters This Centipede, Freaks Out

The giant redheaded centipede is the stuff of nightmares

(Newser) - Chilopodophobes, look away. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department came across a giant redheaded centipede on a broom in Garner State Park and posted a photo of the creepy-crawly to Facebook last week. It might just show up in your worst nightmares: The "Texas Redhead" centipede has a long...

'Centipede From Hell' Discovered in Croatian Caves

And Hades has got a partner named Persephone

(Newser) - Scientists hoped they'd find some exotic creatures burrowing through some of the deepest caves in Croatia, and they did not come up short. Meet Geophilus hadesi—or "Hades," named for the Greek god of the underworld—a subterranean centipede discovered in the Velebit mountain range by the...

Centipede Venom Better Than Morphine: Study

It holds promise as pain-reliever, says study

(Newser) - How would you feel if the ER doctor offered you centipede venom for the pain? The idea isn't so farfetched: A new study finds that the venom, which paralyzes prey, may also yield a compound that's more effective than morphine as a painkiller for humans, Smithsonian reports. Why?...

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