Many tourists are interested in the large centipedes of Crimea - how dangerous are they, what to expect from an encounter with them, and most importantly - how to avoid it? I will try to answer these questions, and at the same time I will help you learn to distinguish poisonous centipedes from harmless ones.
Audio version of the article:
The warm climate of the peninsula is conducive to a wide variety of arthropods; the southern borders of many northerners and the northern borders of southerners lie here. Some of these creatures are beautiful - butterflies, dragonflies, many beetles. Others cause disgust and fear, which is not always justified, and those with a large number of legs have the saddest reputation.
Reproduction and nutrition
The centipede is a predator and a good hunter. Therefore, it is clear what scolopendra eats. Like any predator, it eats small worms, beetle larvae, flies, and insects. Large individuals are capable of attacking small lizards, frogs, birds, mice, snakes and even bats.
Centipede breeding occurs in the warm season. This period lasts from late spring to early summer. The male covers the entrance to his home with a web and deposits a sac of sperm called a spermatophore on it. The female then crawls over this sac, capturing it to fertilize the eggs. In Crimea there are species that reproduce parthenogenetically without males.
The female exhibits maternal instinct by guarding the laid eggs for several weeks by wrapping her legs around them. At this time, it releases substances that protect against the development of mold. After the appearance of young offspring, the female leaves. Scolopendras are born white and soft, then they molt several times, darken and begin an independent life. Centipedes live 1-2 years, large relatives can live up to 7 years, usually in captivity.
In Russia there are centipedes that do not pose such a threat as tropical representatives. The domestic scolopendra, which lives in human homes, is practically harmless. It even brings benefits by eating flies, moths, cockroaches, bedbugs, and ants. It reaches a length of 2-6 cm. The scolopendra bites only for self-defense. Its jaws are very weak and cannot bite through human skin. But if this does happen, then the predator’s bite is as painful as that of a bee.
Types of centipedes: photos and names
There are about 600 species of these insects in nature, but we will describe the most interesting of them.
As you probably already guessed from the name, this is the largest scolopendra, its body length reaches 35 cm. It is also the most dangerous, since its bite can be fatal to humans. The giant scolopendra lives in the tropics of South America.
Ringed scolopendra (Crimean scolopendra)
In our country it is better known as Crimean scolopendra, since its habitat is Southern Europe, including our Ukrainian Crimea. The Crimean scolopendra is not as large (and not as dangerous) as the giant one, its body length is on average 10 cm. The ringed scolopendra has a golden yellow color and is a very fast insect that eats other smaller insects.
The Californian scolopendra lives in the arid regions of the Southern United States and Mexico. Its body length reaches 20 cm. It is distinguished by its bright orange color. Although its venom is not as toxic as that of the giant scolopendra, it can nevertheless easily cause inflammation of the skin in humans upon contact with the poisonous limbs of this centipede.
Scolopendra Lucas also lives in Southern Europe. Its body is rusty in color and its head is heart-shaped.
House scolopendra (flycatcher)
The smallest and most harmless of centipedes, its body length is only 3 to 6 cm. Also, unlike its dangerous relatives, it has no poison and, as a result, does not pose any threat to humans. It lives in southern Europe, the Mediterranean and also in North Africa. It got its name because of its habit of settling in people’s houses, and although, as we have already noted, this scolopendra does not pose a threat, nevertheless, its presence in the house is not at all desirable. The domestic scolopendra feeds on small insects, usually flies, which is why it is even nicknamed the flycatcher.
Chinese scolopendra
This representative of the scolopendra kingdom lives in Asia, in particular China, and also in Australia. It is distinguished by its red color, which is why it is also known as the Chinese red centipede. Interesting fact: the inventive Chinese have learned to use the venom of the Chinese scolopendra for medical purposes; in the treatment of various skin diseases, it promotes the healing process in small doses.
Where do Black Sea centipedes live?
Ringed centipedes, which are called Crimean or Black Sea, can be found not only on the Crimean peninsula. The concept “Black Sea scolopendra” does not describe its entire habitat. It is a common species found throughout southern Europe. This centipede lives in fairly large numbers in Greece, Italy, France, Spain, Turkey, and Bulgaria. Lives in North African countries: Libya, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt. These arthropods are found in Georgia and Azerbaijan. Scolopendra in Russia lives not only in Crimea. There are areas in Taman, Rostov region, Krasnodar region, Volgograd, Stavropol regions, and Dagestan.
Important! The Crimean ringed scolopendra settles mainly along the coasts, preferring mountainous, forested areas. Most often, she avoids communication with humans, but in search of a secluded place she can sneak into a human home. This animal can settle not only in a private house, but also get into an apartment in an apartment building. Do not forget that the flat centipede easily penetrates even narrow cracks. During the day she hides, and at night she goes hunting and explores the surrounding area.
In Crimea, centipedes live everywhere. But not in every region their populations are homogeneous. On the crowded beaches of the South Coast, the chance of meeting her is small. Many of them are found in the mountains in the central part and in the east of the peninsula. There are also relatively few of them in the west of Crimea. Millipedes do not settle in dry steppes; they need moisture.
Varieties of centipedes and their habitat
There are a lot of varieties of centipedes, almost all of them are similar in body structure and a large number of legs. Let's look at the most famous species of centipedes and their habitat.
Common flycatcher (scutigera)
Scolopendra scutigera is a centipede from the order Scutigeromorpha of the labiopod class. The adult is 35 to 60 mm long, yellow-gray in color with long striped legs.
Feeds on small insects. Lives in Southern Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. They are also found in the territory of Ukraine, the Caucasus, Moldova, Kazakhstan, and southern Russia.
The natural habitat of the common flycatcher is dry fallen leaves. With the onset of cold weather, it begins to seek shelter, so it may end up in an apartment, especially in damp rooms - a bathroom, toilet, basement.
It is practically safe for humans, as it cannot bite through the skin of humans and pets. The maximum harm that scolopendra scutigera can cause to a person is redness and swelling of the skin; its bite is comparable to the sting of one wasp.
It also does not cause any harm to exposed food and furniture, and in some regions it is generally considered a rare beneficial species of arthropod that cannot be killed. Therefore, do not be afraid if you meet her at home, carefully pick her up with a net or other tool and send her “for a walk” outside the window.
Giant centipede - the largest centipede
The giant scolopendra lives most often in the west and north of South America, on the islands of Trinidad and Jamaica. They feed on insects in the same way as other species of centipedes, but there are known cases of giant centipedes attacking lizards, toads, mice and even birds.
The strongly built body consists of 21-23 segments of brown or red color with a pair of bright yellow legs. Poisonous jaws can cause harm to a person in the form of swelling, redness and severe pain, and occasionally fever, weakness and fever. For an adult, the venom of the giant scolopendra is not fatal. The poison consists of the following substances: contains acetylcholine, serotonin, histamine, lecithin, thermolysins, hyaluronidases.
Ringed scolopendra (Crimean)
The ringed scolopendra is the most common species of centipede in Southern Europe and the countries of the Mediterranean basin, including Italy, Spain, France, Turkey, Greece, and Crimea. He also lives in Northern Africa: Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Morocco.
It is inferior in size to the giant centipede, reaching an average of 10-15 cm. The venom of the ringed centipede is also not as toxic as that of its “big brother”. A very fast and agile predator, it hunts almost all living creatures that are smaller in size - insects, lizards.
Chinese red scolopendra
The Chinese red scolopendra lives in eastern Asia and Australia. Unlike many other species of centipedes, it is less aggressive and more social, it can live in peace with its relatives in communities (most species of centipedes are solitary).
In Chinese medicine, this type of scolopendra is used to speed up the healing of skin diseases and injuries.
California scolopendra
The California scolopendra lives in arid areas of the United States and Mexico, although other scolopendra species prefer wetter habitats.
A bite from a California scolopendra or touching its legs when disturbed can cause minor harm to a person in the form of inflammation. There have even been cases of rhabdomyolysis and acute renal failure after being bitten by this centipede.
Scolopendra Lucas
Lucas's centipede, like the ringed one, lives in the southern part of Europe. Distinctive features are the heart-shaped head and rusty color. The harm from contact with it is identical to most other centipedes.
What to do if scolopendra is running around the house
- Throw something like a newspaper or towel on it. This is necessary for the insect to feel safe and hide and become. Scolopendras are nimble and run very fast.
- Don't try to chop up a centipede. The two halves may run away, and then you will have to catch two centipedes at once.
- It is better not to try to crush a durable animal with your foot. It can wriggle and crawl under clothes very quickly.
- A centipede can only be destroyed with a heavy and fairly hard object, such as a hammer or stone. Its chitinous shell is so strong that even a blow from a stone on relatively soft soil does not harm it. It is better not to kill the scolopendra found in nature, but simply throw it away with some object that will protect the hand from contact with the poison.
- It is worth remembering that repellents have almost no effect on the scolopendra, protected by a powerful shell. But you can lure arthropods into sticky bait.
Important! The ringed scolopendra looks quite scary and bites painfully, but you shouldn’t destroy every individual that gets in your way. This animal is part of the ecosystem. As a predator, it regulates the growth of populations of other insects, for example cockroaches, poisonous spiders, etc.
Description of the smoothie bug
The smooth water bug confidently cuts through the water thanks to its back pair of legs. It's like he's stroking
surface. Hence the name. Thanks to its hind legs, which are several times larger than the size of the other limbs, the smoothie bug moves a considerable distance as soon as it swings them several times.
The insect chooses bodies of standing water, such as lakes or ponds, as its habitat. But you can see smoothies much closer to home, for example, in a puddle or in barrels of water, which are often installed in dachas. The bug can move not only on water surfaces, so it can also end up close to the house, especially if you leave the light on the porch.
Moreover, water bugs are excellent fliers. For this purpose, they have transparent wings and dense brown elytra. As a rule, smoothies rise into the air at night in search of another body of water rich in food. Bedbugs feed by first spraying a digestive enzyme into the victim through their piercing-sucking mouthparts. Then, tightly clinging to it with their forelimbs, they suck out the contents from it.
The smooth bug tracks down its next victim while in the water, which is very remarkable. Unlike many other insects, the bug, once in the water column, turns upside down and thus controls the surface of a pond or lake, where there are a lot of larvae and insects. The smoothback is protected from fish by its light back, which makes it barely noticeable.
The peculiarities of the smoothie include the ability to make sounds similar to the chirping of a grasshopper. This happens when the bug “plays” with its proboscis. More precisely, he scrapes it with his forelimbs.
You should not relax and think that this type of bug is dangerous only to the inhabitants of water bodies. It can also bite a person if you pick up the insect.
Its bite is close to that of a bee, for which the smoothie is often called a water bee. But only the most curious and fearless, who want to take a closer look at the insect, suffer from bites. In other cases, the smoothie will not attack a person. Its bite is not dangerous to health, although it is felt for a long time.
Crimean scolopendra - sizes and features
The length of an adult insect reaches 15-20 cm (the average individual is slightly longer than a lighter). The color of the shell ranges from sand to dark brown. The head is flattened black with two curling red mustaches, the legs are yellow (honey-colored). Each body segment has a pair of legs (most centipedes have 21-23 pairs).
7 years is the average lifespan of the ringed scolopendra (in captivity), this is a fairly decent period for an insect, but more often than not, in the wild, it does not live up to this period. She has enemies; snakes, rats and ordinary cats can feast on the centipede. However, it is generally not advisable for the latter to do this, since the insect’s body contains many parasites and toxic poison, all of which can harm members of the cat family. Centipedes themselves eat cockroaches, worms, lizards, spiders, beetles, mollusks, larvae and other small and large insects.
Ringed millipedes reach sexual maturity in the second year of life; it is during this period that they actively reproduce. Mating occurs at night, when there is silence around. In the last segment of the male’s body, a cocoon with seminal fluid (spermatophore) is formed, from which the female, during copulation, draws it into her genital organ. After a few months, the female Crimean centipede begins to lay larvae (up to 120 pieces at a time). They ripen on average in 2-3 months. Young offspring live with their mother for some time, as a result of which it often happens that she can be eaten by them, or vice versa.
From the photo you can understand that the ringed scolopendra is a strong insect; its powerful jaws are the first pair of legs. She grabs a victim with them, which can exceed herself in size and weight, and tenaciously holds her. Thanks to a sensitive pair of antennae on her head, she easily navigates in space; with them she feels her way while moving quite quickly.
Although Scolopendra is considered an aggressive predator, her behavior is calm, she tries to be unnoticed. In the summer heat of the day, she passively hides in the damp shade - grass, branches, stones. At night it goes out hunting to get food for itself, so it can easily crawl into a tourist tent or a private house. Catching up with prey is not difficult for centipedes, thanks to its fast hind legs. She grabs her prey and plunges her toxic jaws into it, thereby paralyzing it. Thanks to its protective shell, which resembles chain mail, it is almost impossible to crush it; the flat-bodied centipede can even withstand a blow from a stone on soft ground.
Scolopendra bites, poisons and eats everyone it can overcome: spiders, cockroaches, grasshoppers. Hunts only in the dark. During the day it sits out under stones, roots, and piles of leaves. Prefers moist, dark places.
Appearance
According to many, scolopendra looks disgusting. Along the long body of golden yellow or dark olive color there are short legs, thanks to which it can move very quickly. The first pair serves as grasping paws, from which it can be quite difficult for the victim to get out.
The antennae on the head allow the arthropod to navigate the terrain: move in the right direction, detect danger and look for food. There are large round eyes on the head. At the end there is a long curved tail.
Crimean flycatchers
Large, very nimble and completely harmless centipedes.
If this “monster” visited your room, thank him, it is predatory and actively catches various insects, including those with whom it is extremely unpleasant to be neighbors. The only drawback of the flytrap is reflected in such demotivators:
At night, while catching insects, a flycatcher may fall from the ceiling onto your bed. But I hasten to reassure you - he will tick away from her, sparkling with all fifteen pairs of his heels. Its speed is decent - up to 40 cm per second.
Flycatchers have poison and even cause a burning sensation when they bite, but to make it bite you, you need to catch it and stick your finger in its nose, and it runs away, let me remind you, at a speed of 40 cm per second.
Here is a video of a flycatcher that decided to hunt in our apartment:
No animals were harmed during filming.
How dangerous it is for humans or animals
As we have already found out, there are thorns on the tips of the paws, and they are poisonous. If a person sleeps in a tent on a hike, then an insect, which is sometimes mistakenly called scalapendria, can run over it, and the paw marks will become inflamed and the skin will turn red. When there is no allergy to insect venom, then this is all harm to a healthy body.
You need to know how an encounter with a centipede can turn out for those who are sensitive to external stimuli. Allergy sufferers may have severe reactions, especially in children. Hospitalization may be required. Doctors have recorded cases where rhabdomyolysis developed or acute renal failure occurred, which is extremely dangerous to health.
In Russia, scolopendras are small. They are afraid of humans and try to escape. Only those who believe that there is nowhere to go and there is a threat to life will bite. This happens when the centipede gets scared. She uses her weapon to defend herself.
What danger do Scolopendra pose?
If anyone happens to encounter a scolopendra in the wild, then remember that the scolopendra’s poison is not very dangerous for humans, but it can bring a lot of trouble into a person’s life.
A disturbed insect, crawling across a person’s skin, can leave a “path” of burns, because it has acid on each leg. If it stings, the pain will be quite severe.
, comparable to the sting of 20 bees.
The site where the poison enters the bloodstream may become very swollen, all of which will be accompanied by fever, nausea, and anxiety
, vomiting. Symptoms often persist for no more than two days. There are known cases of muscle fiber spasms, the development of renal failure or partial paralysis.
The venom of these insects contains histamine - a mediator of allergic reactions, lecithin - a set of phospholipids necessary for the construction of nerve cells, serotonin - the hormone of happiness and acetylcholine - a neurotransmitter. Medical attention should be sought immediately after a centipede bite.
Depending on the severity of the consequences of the bite, treatment is prescribed
. More often they are limited to the following manipulations:
- washing areas with damaged skin;
- apply a cold compress locally;
- anesthetize the bite site with analgesics orally and lidocaine through injections;
- carry out tetanus prophylaxis.
Scolopendras in people's homes and how to get rid of them
Can centipedes live in warmer latitudes? Can they start in a human home? The answer is yes, they can. More often they can be found in houses under plaster.
, where it is dark and fairly high humidity.
But this species is called the common flycatcher
, does not exceed 6 cm in length, has a brownish-yellow color, has antennae in front that are several times shorter than her hind legs, so it is quite difficult to understand where her front is and where her back is. It is absolutely safe for humans. On the contrary, it can be beneficial because it eats other insects: cockroaches, bedbugs, spiders, ants, etc.
For some people, these creepy-looking insects have become popular pets despite the dangerous poison. Although, according to statistics, there are not so many such exotic lovers, most people find such centipedes disgusting.
If you want to get rid of these insects, but they live in the most inappropriate places: in the bathroom, basement, bathroom. node, ordinary insecticidal liquids will not get rid of it. Yes, and adhesive tapes will not help, the scolopendra will tear off its glued paws and start growing new ones.
First of all, you need to seal all the cracks.
, carefully plaster the walls, reduce the level of moisture in the rooms, and treat the rooms against insects, because centipedes settle where there is water and food.
In this case, the centipedes will go to another, more suitable place for them. You also need to clean up the yard and remove piles of humus and leaves. But there is no urgent need to destroy these insects.
Whatever you say, the scolopendra is far from the most pleasant representative of the animal world, and it is also very dangerous for humans. Many species of scolopendra are poisonous and sometimes a scolopendra bite can even lead to fatal consequences; it is not for nothing that the giant scolopendra is included in the list of the most dangerous insects on the planet. Scolopendra belongs to the genus of millipedes, order Scolopendra. The name “scolopendra” is of ancient Greek origin and is translated into our language as “centipede”.
How to protect your home from scolopendra
You can encounter scolopendra not only on the street, but also in the house. During the day they are not visible, but at night they actively explore the territory, crawling on beds.
To protect your home from centipedes, you need to close the doors (especially in the evenings), and install fine-mesh mosquito nets on windows and air ducts.
If there is a small child, then it is better to cover his sleeping place with a breathable canopy tucked around the edges of the bed.
Prevention measures:
- regularly mow the grass around the house short;
- remove piles of garbage, firewood, stones and other objects potentially suitable for sheltering centipedes;
- from the outside, seal all the cracks in the walls. Scolopendras love to hide under peeling cladding;
- remove climbing plants (such as wild grapes) from the external walls - this is the easiest way for centipedes to enter the house;
- shake out all things brought from the beach, camping trip, from the garage or from the dacha.
Not only tourists in tents, on beaches and mountain trails, but also residents of multi-storey buildings are at risk. Numerous cases of scolopendras appearing in apartments even on the 11th floor have been recorded.
Catching a centipede is difficult. Some tips on how to get rid of it if found in the house :
- throw a newspaper, a slipper, a towel on top - the scolopendra will feel that it is hiding and will freeze;
- do not chop with a knife or hatchet (there were cases when the halves scattered);
- pressing with your foot is dangerous - the insect can turn over and instantly crawl onto the body under clothes;
- You need to kill with a hard object (hammer, stone). The shell of the Crimean centipede is durable; it cannot be crushed with a slipper or newspaper.
It is useless to poison centipedes with Dichlorvos (they mutate). According to reviews from people who encounter them, you can repel harmful insects with 6% vinegar, pouring it behind the baseboard at the entrance doors, as well as with “Ride” against ticks and spiders.
Briefly about centipedes and their relationship with humans
Scolopendras are representatives of millipedes, united in a separate group Scolopendromorpha. The name has ancient Greek roots, the translation means woodlice, centipede. The food for the predator is insects and small invertebrates. However, large specimens (up to 26 cm), inhabitants of tropical forests, hunt:
- reptiles (snakes, frogs, lizards);
- spiders (including poisonous tarantulas);
- small rodents, bats.
Often the prey of giant centipedes can be larger than the centipede itself.
Such active predation was made possible thanks to a strong poison that has a paralytic effect. An insect can sting if it feels threatened. Here a natural concern arises as to whether the scolopendra bite is dangerous for large animals, and most importantly for humans. What the consequences of the meeting will be depends on the type of insect. The larger the centipede, the more poison it contains, the more dangerous the insect bite is for humans.
Variety of species
According to biologists, there are over 90 varieties of centipedes. They can be found on almost every continent (with the exception of Antarctica). In addition to the huge number of legs, they are united by poor vision, which is compensated by a phenomenal sense of touch. Therefore, all centipedes are nocturnal creatures.
The most common types:
The Amazonian giant centipede (Scolopendra gigantea) is the largest representative of the genus, reaching 30 cm. Its typical habitat is the tropics and subtropical forests.
Although its venom is not considered fatal to humans, there is an officially recorded case in which a 4-year-old child died from the bite of a giant scolopendra in Venezuela. The real danger is an allergy to insect venom. Although an adult is unlikely to die from a scolopendra bite, it is quite possible to lose work capacity for several days due to severe pain and swelling.
California centipede (aka desert centipede). It does not have such impressive dimensions as the previous specimen, it reaches a maximum of 20 cm. Like other representatives of the genus, it hunts prey, entwining it, injecting poison. Spends most of its time in the ground; the California centipede can be found on the surface at night and in cloudy weather.
The ringed variety is the leader in life expectancy. It lives in rocky areas for about 7 years. Avoids daylight hours, hiding in rock crevices, under fallen trees.
House scolopendra is an unpleasant armored insect 3.5-6 cm long. Despite the name, it lives in the wild, but can settle in a human home. House scolopendra is completely safe for people and animals; a bite is impossible due to weak jaws that cannot pierce the skin.
Along with the listed varieties, there are tiger, Galapagos, Chinese red, sea and a number of other centipedes.
What regions does it live in?
The habitat of the centipede is very wide. The largest individuals are found exclusively in regions with a humid, warm climate (Central and South America, Southeast Asia). However, there is a chance of meeting a predator in the middle zone, although centipedes prefer warmer regions. House scolopendra can be found in Voronezh, Rostov, Saratov, Tambov, as well as in the Volgograd region and Krasnodar region, but the likelihood of getting a bite from it is minimal.
As you move south, the likelihood of suffering from a poisonous centipede increases by an order of magnitude. One of its favorite habitats is the Black Sea coast. When bitten by a Crimean scolopendra, severe pain is observed, and a person often feels at a loss as to what to do in such a situation.
Hunting habits
This predatory arthropod hunts at night. Its prey includes a variety of insects (cockroaches, grasshoppers, etc.) and other arthropods (spiders, etc.). The poisonous scolopendra can kill an animal even larger than itself - a sand lizard. A small snake can also become its prey. During the day, scolopendra hides in dark, secluded places. Hides under stones, roots of trees and bushes, under leaves or in thick grass. She prefers moist, dark places.
Scolopendras rarely go to the beaches, but even those who settled in a tent on the shore should not neglect caution. In search of convenient shelters that are sufficiently damp and dark, centipedes climb into houses. They are usually attracted to basements, garages, closets, bathrooms, and cellars. These nimble animals can also reach apartments located on the upper floors of high-rise buildings.
Important! To protect yourself from a poisonous centipede attack, you need to keep your doors closed. It is especially important to do this at night and in the evenings, during the period when centipedes are active. Cover windows and ventilation openings with fine mesh. In the regions where they live, it is recommended to cover the beds of small children with a breathable canopy.
Symptoms
When a centipede bites, the symptoms resemble those of most other arthropods. Comparing the force of a centipede's bite with a bee's sting, the bee pierces weakly. The centipede not only stings, running frightenedly over the human body, but behind it leaves a path of toxic substance, causing a burn. The skin becomes red and itchy. If a scolopendra, which lives in the Rostov region, the Ukrainian steppes, and the Crimea, is bitten, then its puncture does not lead to death. At the same time, punctures of the common centipede cause discomfort.
If bitten by a centipede, the victim will experience the following symptoms:
- pain discomfort in the bitten area;
- the affected area of the body swells greatly;
- the temperature rises sharply, reaching 40 degrees;
- the patient has chills, fever, and feels weak in the body.
Often the unpleasant discomfort disappears within 2 days. But there are cases of allergic reactions.
- There are rashes all over the body.
- My head is spinning.
- Shortness of breath occurs.
- Be sick.
- The victim vomits.
- Choking.
- The pressure decreases.
scolopendra bite
Possible loss of reason, anaphylactic shock. The body’s severe reaction to the poisonous proteins of scolopendra requires urgent medical intervention.
Among the atypical signs of a bite after a centipede attack are hematomas, cyanosis, and swelling. The poison contains substances that cause inflammation and allergies, which often manifests itself as bruises on the skin. If scolopendra bites a limb, then the manifestations are not very pronounced. A bite to the body or head often leads to general malaise. The body of a child and pregnant women reacts very painfully to toxins.
Can scolopendra be deadly? The Crimean centipede bites painfully, but the puncture is not fatal.
But when a giant specimen bites, there is no chance that the person will survive. The venom of the giant scolopendra is toxic; this insect is not just on the list of the most dangerous individuals on the planet.
great scolopendra
Toxicity
Since the Crimean centipede prefers to lead a hidden lifestyle and is always well camouflaged, when on vacation it is quite easy to miss and disturb it. And since this arthropod is also very aggressive, at the slightest sense of danger it will attack.
Is the Crimean scolopendra dangerous for humans? The venom of these arthropods consists of a set of enzymes that are capable of not only killing prey, but also digesting its internal contents. For humans, this poisonous secretion does not pose a mortal danger, although it causes quite noticeable pain. After a bite, the affected area can become very inflamed, body temperature often rises, chills and aches appear. As a result, carelessness can result in severe retribution - illness that will last for several days. However, usually all symptoms disappear after 2-3 days.
Advice! But despite this, after a scolopendra bite, it is still advisable to consult a doctor, especially when the victim is a child, an allergy sufferer, or a person with a weakened immune system!
But not only the bite of the Crimean scolopendra causes pain. At the moment of fright, this arthropod secretes a sticky substance, upon contact with which you can feel a strong burning and itching. In addition, this secretion, when in contact with the skin, can provoke an allergic reaction.
Scolopendra bite
Accidents are most often associated with an animal entering a human home, accidentally touching a centipede or causing injury to it. For residents of Russia, information related to the bite of the ringed scolopendra is of interest, since it is the one that lives in the south of the country.
Symptoms
If a person is bitten by a ringed scolopendra, first local and then general signs of the toxin appear.
Local symptoms include:
- severe burning pain in the place where the scolopendra stung;
- swelling and hyperemia of the affected area and surrounding tissues;
- perhaps the formation of a bubble, as in a burn, or a hematoma;
- spread of inflammation to nearby areas of the body;
- local skin itching;
- possibly enlarged regional lymph nodes.
General symptoms occur due to the toxin entering the bloodstream, followed by effects on the nervous system. The following signs indicate this:
- increased body temperature and chills;
- headache;
- general weakness;
- nausea or vomiting;
- pain in muscles and joints;
- decrease in blood pressure.
The symptoms of intoxication usually persist for two to three days, while local symptoms may remain longer.
First aid
What to do if you are bitten by a scolopendra? Its poison is quickly destroyed by the action of alcohol and alkalis. Therefore, the bite site must be treated with a solution of potassium permanganate, ethyl or ammonia. If there is a “track” on the skin left by the centipede’s claws, then it also needs to be treated with an antiseptic. First aid measures are aimed at removing poison from the surface of the body that has not had time to enter the body and reducing the effect of the toxin that has already been absorbed.
The algorithm for providing first aid for a scolopendra bite is as follows.
- Wash the wound generously with cool or cold running water and soap. Disinfect the bite site with alcohol or a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
- Apply a sterile bandage.
- Take a pain reliever.
- If bitten on the arm or leg, place the limb in a stationary position.
- Drink more fluids during intoxication.
- Perform dressings daily using sterile materials.
What not to do? The following measures are contraindicated:
- application of a tourniquet;
- cauterization of the bite site;
- alcohol consumption;
- applying herbs, earth and other objects to the wound that can serve as a source of infection.
Special treatment may also be required if an allergic reaction or neurological symptoms occur, or if local or general manifestations of poisoning persist for a long time.
What to do if bitten by a scolopendra
Treatment
When the victim goes to the hospital, he is prescribed detoxification and symptomatic therapy. There is no specific antidote for a scolopendra bite, so treatment to neutralize the poison is not carried out.
Detoxification therapy includes:
- intravenous infusions;
- forced diuresis;
- administration of antitetanus serum.
Symptomatic therapy is prescribed for pain relief, relief of inflammatory and allergic reactions and associated secondary infection.
The following medications may be used to treat a scolopendra bite:
- painkillers;
- antipyretics;
- antihistamines;
- glucocorticoid hormones;
- antibiotics.
Local treatment for uncomplicated disease includes only daily dressings.
