Centipedes are predatory arthropods known for their many legs, with one pair per body segment. They are generally venomous creatures, uniquely injecting their venom though a pair of modified legs turned into pincer-like appendages known as forcipules. Many centipedes lack eyes though may possess ocelli.
Though the name suggests that they have 100 legs, centipede species can have between 30 to 354 — coincidentally, as real life centipedes always have an odd number of paired legs, no centipede (again, in real life) actually has exactly 100 legs. Real life centipedes possess 15 or more body segments. Most of the segments bear a single pair of legs, with the maxillipeds projecting forward from the first body segment, and the final two segments being small and legless. Each pair of legs is slightly longer than the pair immediately in front of it, ensuring that they do not overlap, so reducing the chance that they will collide with each other while moving swiftly. In extreme cases, the last pair of legs may be twice the length of the first pair. The final segment bears a telson and includes the openings of the reproductive organs.
Centipedes can survive in a wide range of habitats, even extending into the Arctic Circle. This extends from tropical rainforests to deserts though they require moist microhabits since they lack the waxy cuticle that insects and arachnids possess.
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