Chinese Beauty Centipede (Scolopendra multidens 'Red')

Red head, red legs, and it grows up fast

Scolopendra multidens “Red,” the Chinese Beauty Centipede, is a sharp-looking mid-size Asian Scolopendra: glossy dark body bracketed by a bright red head and red legs, out of southern China and the surrounding region. This one ships as a pedeling (a baby), so you are raising it from the start, and they grow quickly and end up genuinely large.

Classic centipede temperament comes standard: fast, defensive, escape-prone, and armed. The bite is painful with serious localized effects, so it is forceps-only and never handled. For a keeper who wants the centipede experience in a striking package it is a great one; just go in clear-eyed about the secure enclosure it needs, and Big Z is happy to talk through the setup before you order.

The numbers live in the care guide. Enclosure size, temps, humidity, feeding schedule, premolt signs, handling boundaries: it's all in the care guide for this exact fella. Start with the full Advanced guide, or click for the quick Open the Simple version →