r/GardeningAustralia • u/drewdles33 • Sep 07 '24

What is this? 🐜 ID This Bug

Post image

I’ve never seen anything like this in person that wasn’t on TV or behind a glass screen at a zoo. Are they harmful or is it just big and ugly? In Victoria.

18 Upvotes

88% Upvoted

29

u/Proud_Elderberry_472 Sep 07 '24

Centipede and very much harmful. Painful as all get out apparently

1

u/mishrod Sep 07 '24

Painful? I have literally hundreds and hundreds of these in my courtyard. I just ignored them - never thinking twice. Now I’ll be nervous to lay on the hammock! :)

1

u/Ineedsomuchsleep170 Sep 08 '24

I think they're in the "leave them alone and they'll leave you alone" category. I come across them all the time and they don't seem to care.

9

u/escape2thvoid Sep 07 '24

very painful bite, worse than most snakes

7

u/Conscious-Benefit-82 Sep 07 '24

Don't touch it. They hurt more than you might believe

3

u/drewdles33 Sep 07 '24

It was drowned in my pond so didn’t have to be too careful.

14

u/TrashMonkeyByNature Sep 07 '24

Just a PSA for next time, centipedes are remarkably good at playing dead. I've handled one before that was completely limp and seemed dead. It came alive in my hand and scared the christ out of me.

13

u/Fyougimmeausername Sep 07 '24

Best to lick it to be sure

7

u/drewdles33 Sep 07 '24

Spicy lollipop 🤷🏻‍♂️

4

u/Independent-Drama123 Sep 07 '24

Forbidden toothrag

4

u/[deleted] Sep 07 '24

Yeah my evolutionary flight instinct is giving me messages. I wouldn't sleep with it under my doona.

4

u/aweraw Sep 07 '24

It is heinous.

5

u/Least_Comedian_3508 Sep 07 '24

Are there any animals in Australia that aren’t out there to kill you?

10

u/Not_HAL_199 Sep 07 '24

Not really. The flies carry knives now.

10

u/TrashMonkeyByNature Sep 07 '24

Down under we call them Flives

12

u/macedonym Sep 07 '24

Are there any animals in Australia that aren’t out there to kill you?

Assuming you're American, you have an equivalent for each of our dangerous animals (other than Cassowaries I guess).

And you also have FUCKING BEARS.

3

u/MadHabitats Sep 07 '24

Yeah I know right!! I say this all the time, literally nothing we have is as bad as bears. I mean don't get me wrong they are cute and funny af but scary af too..

Our worst animals are almost always more scared of you...

3

u/DegeneratesInc Sep 07 '24

And our feral cats don't take down mountain bikers and have them for lunch tomorrow.

3

u/feralmagictree Sep 07 '24

March flies are around at moment.. those bastard bite and draw blood.

3

u/Not_HAL_199 Sep 07 '24

Yes, they are complete bastards.

1

u/DegeneratesInc Sep 07 '24

Legless lizards. Completely harmless. You could even eat them.

1

u/Least_Comedian_3508 Sep 07 '24

Doesn’t look friend shaped though 😅

2

u/Top-Television-6618 Sep 07 '24

A centipede,............yes,they`re venemous.

1

u/alephil22 Sep 07 '24

I had a giant one of these in my bedroom when I was a kid :(

1

u/drewdles33 Sep 07 '24

I had no idea we got them in Melbourne.

1

u/alephil22 Sep 07 '24

I grew up in regional Victoria, my parents lived on a big property in the country

1

u/alephil22 Sep 07 '24

I hope to never see one of these in Melbourne. As far as I know my house is very tightly sealed 😭

1

u/mishrod Sep 07 '24

I’m in Melbourne - about 5km from cbd. They’re everywhere here.

1

u/Fudgeygooeygoodness Sep 07 '24

Have tons of these around my property, sometimes dead in my pool. The chooks enjoy them though.

1

u/Slick197053 Sep 07 '24

Very painful bite lasts hrs

1

u/Mike_for_all Sep 07 '24

Centipede. Just don’t touch them and you’ll be fine

1

u/triffid_living Sep 07 '24

I was collecting some parsley from the garden and inadvertently grabbed one of these fellas, I was so shocked by the pain, radiated up my arm. Remained quite severe for about an hour. Very painful. Another time, I had felt something crawling on me while i was in bed over a few nights, so i changed the bed sheets, found one of these guys flat as a tac.

1

u/PromiseLeft7906 Sep 07 '24

Nice juicy centipede - best eaten fried in wok with chilli and garlic - serve with rice

1

u/kingbespapi Sep 09 '24

Painful bite, stay alert