Evolution
This
incredible invertebrate is Scolopendra gigantea, though it also goes by
the names Amazonian giant centipede, Peruvian giant yellow-leg
centipede and the bat-eating centipede. Bats are but one of many
vertebrates Scolopendra gigantea preys on - it has been known to devour
frogs, toad, small lizards, snakes (up to around 24 cm long), mice and
birds the size of a sparrow. Though it has a potent
venom - thankfully not deadly to humans - the venom is possibly the least remarkable part of how it preys on bats.
In their paper on the subject, Molinari et al identified 3 ways
Scolopendra gigantea hunts bats. The first two suggest that it crawled
up the bat cave wall to the ceiling and either found a perching bat or
waited for a bat to perch near it. The third is the most incredible,
describing how the centipede could hang from the cave ceiling and grab a
bat in midflight, quickly immobilizing it with venom delivered via its
forcibles (or poison claws).
Whichever option it is (and
Molinari et al appear to lean towards the third), when it attacks the
bat it injects its venom near the brain. The centipede then sets to work
devouring its meal, holding the bat with its first eight pairs of legs
and holding on to the ceiling with its last five to eight pairs. This
feat is even more incredible when you consider the difference in mass
between predator and prey - while the centipede may weigh around
9.0-9.5g (before eating) it has been observed in this position eating
bats weighing around 16.5g.
The paper by Molinari et al is an highly recommended read (information and photo taken from it) http://www.erin.utoronto.ca/
This
incredible invertebrate is Scolopendra gigantea, though it also goes by
the names Amazonian giant centipede, Peruvian giant yellow-leg
centipede and the bat-eating centipede. Bats are but one of many
vertebrates Scolopendra gigantea preys on - it has been known to devour
frogs, toad, small lizards, snakes (up to around 24 cm long), mice and
birds the size of a sparrow. Though it has a potent
venom - thankfully not deadly to humans - the venom is possibly the least remarkable part of how it preys on bats.
In their paper on the subject, Molinari et al identified 3 ways Scolopendra gigantea hunts bats. The first two suggest that it crawled up the bat cave wall to the ceiling and either found a perching bat or waited for a bat to perch near it. The third is the most incredible, describing how the centipede could hang from the cave ceiling and grab a bat in midflight, quickly immobilizing it with venom delivered via its forcibles (or poison claws).
Whichever option it is (and Molinari et al appear to lean towards the third), when it attacks the bat it injects its venom near the brain. The centipede then sets to work devouring its meal, holding the bat with its first eight pairs of legs and holding on to the ceiling with its last five to eight pairs. This feat is even more incredible when you consider the difference in mass between predator and prey - while the centipede may weigh around 9.0-9.5g (before eating) it has been observed in this position eating bats weighing around 16.5g.
The paper by Molinari et al is an highly recommended read (information and photo taken from it) http://www.erin.utoronto.ca/
In their paper on the subject, Molinari et al identified 3 ways Scolopendra gigantea hunts bats. The first two suggest that it crawled up the bat cave wall to the ceiling and either found a perching bat or waited for a bat to perch near it. The third is the most incredible, describing how the centipede could hang from the cave ceiling and grab a bat in midflight, quickly immobilizing it with venom delivered via its forcibles (or poison claws).
Whichever option it is (and Molinari et al appear to lean towards the third), when it attacks the bat it injects its venom near the brain. The centipede then sets to work devouring its meal, holding the bat with its first eight pairs of legs and holding on to the ceiling with its last five to eight pairs. This feat is even more incredible when you consider the difference in mass between predator and prey - while the centipede may weigh around 9.0-9.5g (before eating) it has been observed in this position eating bats weighing around 16.5g.
The paper by Molinari et al is an highly recommended read (information and photo taken from it) http://www.erin.utoronto.ca/
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