We must be careful of centipedes. The poison from them is highly poisonous and can be deadly. It can paralyze and kill small animals. It can sometimes kill humans. Scientists found a deadly poison in the venom that can stop the hearts of animals 15 times bigger than a centipede. The toxin was in the Chinese red-headed centipede. It works by blocking potassium in cells. This stops an animal's brain from sending signals to the heart to beat, causing a quick death.

The venom rarely kills humans, but it causes pain and swelling for two weeks. An expert in toxins at an institute of zoology said the centipede's venom harms the heart, lungs, and muscular and nervous systems. It has not been found in other poisonous animals. The word "centipede" means 100 legs, but centipedes do not have 100 legs. They have between 30 and 354. They always have an odd number of pairs of legs, so no centipede has exactly 100 legs.