We should be very of centipedes. The venom from these packs a serious . It can cause paralysis and in small animals. A centipede's sting is poisonous and can kill humans. Scientists have discovered a toxin in the venom that can stop the of animals that are 15 times bigger than a centipede. The toxin in the Chinese red-headed centipede, which can grow to be eight inches , blocks potassium from moving in and out of . This prevents an animal's brain from sending signals to the heart to beat, which leads to a death.
The venom kills humans, but it can be unbelievably . It also causes swelling for up to two . Researcher Shilong Yang, an in toxins at China's Kunming Institute of Zoology, said: "The centipede's venom has evolved to disrupt cardiovascular, respiratory, and nervous systems." This has not been found in other poisonous . Despite their name, centipedes do not have 100 legs. They have a number of , ranging from 30 to 354. Centipedes always have an number of pairs of legs. This means no centipede has 100 legs.
