Insects have the power to send shivers down the backs of many who don’t like thinking about creatures with multiple legs, stingers, and squishy body parts. In this article, you will learn a few interesting record-breaking facts concerning the scorpion, spider, and millipede.
Largest Millipede
By its name, the millipede is expected to have 1,000 feet (or legs), but this is not the case. The record for the creature with the most legs goes to a species of millipede called the illacme plenipes that has 750 legs. You can find this type of millipede in California. As for the largest millipede on record is the fully grown African giant black species of Archispirostreptus gigas. Jim Klinger (a native of Coppell, Texas) is currently the proud owner of the record breaker, which measures 15.2 inches in length. His creature has 256 legs.
Largest Scorpion
The scorpion has quite a reputation as a poisonous creature that resides all over the world and every continent with the exception of Antarctica. Yet, out of the more than 1,000 different species in the world, only 25 of them possess venom strong enough to kill a human. The arthropod animals have predatory instincts , equipped with a pair of grasping claws and a narrow, segmented tail that delivers blows from a venomous stinger. Scorpions have been around for a long time, as there is evidence that the creatures have been able to successfully adapt to the changes of the earth.
The largest scorpion is a specimen of Heterometrus swannerdami, which was uncovered during the Second World War in Krishnarajapuram, India. The overall length of the scorpion measured 11 ½ inches from its stinger to its ‘pincer.’ Pincers on a scorpion are a feature of the creature that aids in catching prey, digging burrows, defense, and mating rituals.
Largest Spiders
If you’re scared of spiders, then you probably don’t want to meet up with the male goliath bird-eating spider known by scientists as the Theraphosa blondi. The largest specimen of the spider was found at Rio Cavro, Venezuela in 1965. The spider had a record-breaking leg span of 11 inches, which was long enough to cover a dinner plate.
The Orb-Weaver Spider
The orb-weaver spider makes its home in gardens, fields and forests, building webs that are shaped like a spirally wheel shape. There are more than 10,000 species of this particular spider, which makes up about 25% of the uniqueness of the overall spider population. Many of the species of spider are large with bright colors. However, the largest ever uncovered was found in 2000 by a biologist who was looking over a collection of specimens owned by the Plant Protection Institute in Pretoria, South Africa.
The species seems to dwell in Madagascar and more specimens have been found since 2000. The females have a leg span that can reach up to 4.7 inches. The spider can spin webs that measure up to 3 feet 3 inches wide.