Hi class, welcome back to my blog! This week we are talking about maternal care in centipedes. We all know that moms are amazing at everything that they do for us but did you know the amount of time and care a centipede mom puts in for her babies? It all begins with reproduction between a male and female centipede. Centipedes prefer to reproduce during the warm months of the year and during the cold months, they stay dormant. They also only come out in the night to avoid dehydration so they reproduce during the night time. Most species of the centipedes must physically mate to reproduce. To do this, the male centipede needs to produce sperm into a web on the floor, and then he brings in the female by tapping her back legs with her antennae until her rear end reaches the sperm web and is taken into her reproductive organs. What I found the most interesting about the reproduction cycle of female centipedes is that she lays a small number of large eggs and protects them for the full time until they catch. The mother centipede has a strong responsibility to guard them closely. She takes all of her legs and wraps herself around them tightly as if she is giving them a huge hug. She will not even eat for as long as she sits and cares for babies. This behavior is interesting and heartwarming because of not much arthropod moms dedicate this much time to their children. Centipedes are known to be creepy and aggressive creatures so to see this touching moment between a mother centipede and its babies is a nice image. As I mentioned in the last blog, centipedes use their two front legs as venom for prey and predators. In protecting her babies, she will do anything for them to stay safe and to hatch safely.
Citations:
https://www.orkin.com/other/centipedes/centipedes-reproductive-cycles
https://www.thoughtco.com/fascinating-facts-about-centipedes-1968228