Centipede
a genus of Myriopoda, having a long, slender, depressed body, protected by coriaceous plates, 21 pairs of legs, distinct eyes, 4 on each side, and antennæ with 17 joints. The name is, however, popularly extended to species of nearly allied genera. Centipedes run nimbly, feed on insects, and pursue them into their lurking places. They have not only a pair of horny jaws, like those of insects, but also another pair of organs closely connected with the mouth, and which are regarded as transformed legs, dilated and united at the base, terminated by a strong hook, and pierced beneath the extremity for the emission of a venomous fluid, which makes their bite quickly fatal to insects, and, in the case of the larger species, very painful, and even dangerous to the larger animals and to man.