Venom Wiki
Cartoon of Japanese giant centipede
No. 0919 of 1,402

Japanese giant centipede

Scolopendra japonica
Centipedes๐Ÿฆท Bites
Danger to people: PainfulIt can really hurt, but it is almost never serious.

Japanese giant centipede belongs to the group: Centipedes. It lives in: Asia.2

Lives in
Asia2
Length
13 cm (5.1 in)2
typical adult size
Top speed
about 1.6 km/h (0.99 mph)
On land, rough guess

Venom power

Bites

Venom comes out through its fangs or teeth when it bites.

How dangerous is it to people?

Danger to people: PainfulIt can really hurt, but it is almost never serious.

๐Ÿš‘ If it bites or stings

  • Wash the bite, cool it or soak it in warm water for the pain, and get medical help if it gets worse.

Always call your emergency number first (112, 000, 911). This is general first aid guidance, not medical advice. First aid basics

โ›‘๏ธ Stay safe

  • Never touch, catch or tease a wild animal, even a small one, and even if it looks asleep or dead.
  • Give it space. If you meet one, stay calm, step back slowly and let it go its own way.
  • If one bites or stings you: stay calm, keep still, call your emergency number (112, 000, 911) or get to a hospital fast. Remember what it looked like, a photo helps.

It is not out to get you. It uses its venom to catch food or to protect itself, and it would much rather hide. More about staying safe

How big is it?

How long is it?

Japanese giant centipede about 13 cm long (5.1 in)๐ŸšA grain of rice about 7 mm (0.3 in)๐Ÿ“ŽA paper clip about 3 cm (1.2 in)๐ŸŒA banana about 18 cm (7.1 in)
as long as 4 toy building bricks in a rowcould cover 100 metres in 220 seconds (the fastest human needs 9.6)

How big is Japanese giant centipede compared to YOU?

Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.

How fast is it?

For venom experts

Scientific name
Scolopendra japonica
Group
Centipedes
Family
Scolopendridae1
Order
Scolopendromorpha
Continents
Asia
Danger to people
2 / 5: Painful2

Where the facts come from

  1. Scolopendra japonica (iNaturalist): names and classification.
  2. Venom Wiki: the danger level, the typical size and the speed guess are our own. See how we work them out: How we rate danger.

Every fact on this page has a number that points to its source. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are animal fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

The spider is hungry! Venom Wiki is a dad's project for his animal-loving kids, free with no ads and no trackers. Grown-ups can drop a snack in the basket to help keep it online.Feed the spider

More from the same group: Centipedes

Also lives in: Asia

Feed the spidertip jar, keeps it free