Amazonian giant green-horned centipede

Despite its size, it can eat small vertebrates such as rodents, frogs, snakes and lizards.1

When a predator touches its raised rear legs, it grips the attacker and spins round to bite.1

A peptide called lacrain, found in its body, has strong effects against Gram-negative bacteria. It is the first peptide with antimicrobial activity described from a myriapod's body extract.1

Lacrain shows little toxicity to human red blood cells, which makes it promising for future uses.1

In northeast Brazil, it is used in regional folk medicine as a painkiller (analgesic).1