IS THAT THING REAL?!
Yes, unfortunately for those of us with entomophobia, the picture of the giant centipede that has gone viral lately is real. One picture you may see is of a giant centipede with a red head and black body on a broom. This giant creepy crawler was shared on Facebook by the Texas Parks and Wildlife on July 1st.
The organization even went so far as to write a little post on the creepy crawler that’s oddly, but fittingly, dubbed the Redheaded centipede. However, as the post suggests, the centipede phobia or fear is probably nothing to get too hyped up about as the texas red-headed centipede is not deadly one.
Some iffy symptoms from bites
Despite the lack of lethality in the species, some of the bite marks left by the creepy crawler can cause some small discomfort and in rare situations, necrosis, or just nausea with dizziness and a really bad headache. But there are rare instances where the wounds develop into more serious injuries such as tissue damage, kidney failure, or heart attack. These sound really scary but it’s important to remember that have no reported deaths from the bites of this Texas Red-headed Centipede as of yet.
It goes to say you can always squish it with your shoe if you feel really threatened for whatever reason. Actually, maybe that’s a bad idea- just look at the thing.
Fun facts for you about the Texas Red-Headed Centipede
Sometimes, bites can be fatal from certain centipedes, as the venom in their bites is a deadly factor. However, when they’re not, it’s just a quite painful experience to endure, not unlike a hornet sting. Right now there are about 3,000 species that are registered and known to science but some believe that there could be an additional more. Figures say there are 8,000 more that have yet to be discovered.
All in all, the threat of the centipedes varies depending on the species of centipede you are dealing with. But when it comes to this Texas Red-Headed Centipede, there is no immediate threat, at least as far as the Texas Parks and Wildlife is concerned. However, you can still get weirded out and get the creeps just by staring at pictures of it in the safety of your own room… far, far away from Texas, hopefully.