第 0914 號，共 1 402 號

Tanzanian blue ringleg centipede

Scolopendra morsitans

名字的由來： The genus name Scolopendra comes from a Greek term meaning 'biting earthworms', and morsitans is Latin for 'that bites'.1

只是會痛會痛，但不會對你造成嚴重傷害。

蜈蚣

咬吃：肉

對人的危險: 疼痛可能會非常痛，但幾乎從來不會很嚴重。

The Tanzanian blue ringleg is a centipede with a bright red head, though its colour varies from place to place. It lives in warm places across many parts of the world, including much of Australia, Africa, Asia and the Americas. It is a fast-hunting nocturnal predator, and its bite can be painful.1

分布在

Native to much of Australia, Africa, South and Southeast Asia, Madagascar and Sri Lanka; introduced to the Americas1

非洲, 亞洲, 澳洲與大洋洲

首頁

It prefers warm environments and needs enough air humidity to survive. It shelters under leaves, bark, logs and other ground debris, and is often found in inhabited areas. Its preference for conditions similar to those on ships has been suggested as a reason for its spread.1

長度

13 cm (5 in)1

最高速度

大約 1,5 km/h（0,93 mph）

在陸地上, 粗略估計

牠吃什麼？

It is an aggressive and opportunistic predator that hunts mainly at night. It eats other arthropods and some small vertebrates, using its strong jaws and venom to capture, incapacitate and digest its prey.1

Tanzanian blue ringleg centipede 的照片 — Tanzanian blue ringleg centipede。照片：Jackson Nugent。 CC BY 4.0, iNaturalist.

怎麼認出牠

Adults are generally characterised by a bright red head and a brownish body.1
Adults have distinct striations, or lines, between each body segment.1
Juveniles lack clear stripes and often have a head that is a similar colour to their body.1
Adults grow to around 13 cm, though colour varies widely between populations, so colour alone can be misleading.1
In the field, the species can sometimes be told apart from other Scolopendras by its relatively thick rear legs, called ultimate legs.1

常被誤認為： It is often confused with the giant red-headed centipede (Scolopendra heros), the Chinese red-headed centipede (Scolopendra subspines) and the Tanzanian blue ring centipede (Ethmostigmus trignopdus), which have similar-sounding common names. Thick rear legs can help separate it from other Scolopendras.1

毒液力量

咬

咬的時候，毒液會從毒牙或牙齒出來。

牠的毒液有什麼作用？

Its venom is neurotoxic, meaning it attacks the nerves, and it rapidly paralyses and kills prey. The venom contains serotonin, which causes a pain response, along with proteins and enzymes. In humans, bites can cause redness, swelling and, in some cases, severe pain.1

牠對人有多危險？

對人的危險: 疼痛可能會非常痛，但幾乎從來不會很嚴重。

Bites in humans cause redness, swelling and sometimes severe pain. Robust case studies of this species are limited, so its effects on people are not well documented.1

牠害怕時會做什麼？

When approached from behind, it raises its ultimate legs aggressively, which may confuse predators by disguising its vulnerable flanks as its fang-bearing head.1

如果牠咬人

清洗咬傷處，冷敷或泡在溫水裡止痛，如果情況變糟，要就醫。

一定要先打緊急電話（112、000、911）。這是一般急救指引，不是醫療建議。急救基本知識

注意安全

絕對不要碰、抓或捉弄野生動物，就算是很小的動物，就算牠看起來在睡覺或已經死了也一樣。
給牠空間。如果遇到了，保持冷靜，慢慢往後退，讓牠自己離開。
如果被牠咬了：保持冷靜，保持不動，打緊急電話（112、000、911）或趕快去醫院。記住牠的樣子，有照片會很有幫助。

牠不是想來抓你。牠用毒液來捕捉食物或保護自己，而且牠更想躲起來。更多安全知識

在世界上的哪裡？

非洲亞洲歐洲北美洲南美洲澳洲與大洋洲

牠有多大？

牠有多長？

跟 4 塊玩具積木排成一排一樣長可以在 240 秒內跑完 100 公尺（最快的人類需要 9.6 秒）

Tanzanian blue ringleg centipede 跟「你」比起來有多大？

只是在你的瀏覽器裡做算術。什麼都不會儲存，也不會傳送到任何地方。

牠有多快？

一隻陸龜 大約 0,3 km/h (0,19 mph)

Tanzanian blue ringleg centipede 大約 1,5 km/h (0,93 mph)

一個正在走路的人 大約 5 km/h (3,1 mph)

值得知道

小知識

Centipedes are the only known animals whose venom partly comes from genes transferred horizontally from several other groups of organisms.1

Enzymes in its venom let it digest prey outside its body, sucking out the broken-down contents through the prey's exoskeleton.1

The venom of this species contained the first active enzymes ever found in any centipede venom, discovered at Ain Shams University in 1983.1

It is kept as a pet and traded internationally, with prices averaging around US$35 online.1

破解迷思

迷思： The species can be identified by its colour alone.

真相： Colour varies widely across regional populations, so colour alone can be misleading.1

給毒液專家

學名: Scolopendra morsitans
類群: 蜈蚣
家人: Scolopendridae2
排序: Scolopendromorpha
各大洲: 非洲, 亞洲, 澳洲與大洋洲
寶寶: The female builds a brood chamber under the ground and lays 22 to 86 eggs, coiling around them and her young to guard them.1
壽命: 大約 4 年1
對人的危險: 2 / 5: 疼痛3