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FL Press: Rare Attack By Man's Pet Vietnamese Centipede

Feb 12, 2006 01:38 PM

not reptiles but ...

CBS4 (Doral, Florida) 11 February 06 Rare Attack By Man's Pet Vietnamese Centipede (Jawan Strader)
Kendall: A South Florida man is recovering after he was stung -- not by a snake, but by his pet Vietnamese centipede -- considered one of the deadliest in the world. Experts say the victim is very lucky. He's in stable condition at Baptist Hospital.
The animal is just 6 to 7 inches long. The owner was changing its water bowl when the centipede quickly attacked.
Doctors were puzzled by the creepy crawler. Then, they realized they were dealing with one of the deadliest centipedes in the world.
This incident was actually just the second case of a Vietnamese centipede bite in the U.S. It's so rare that anti-venin is not kept on-hand.
And Al Cruz of Miami-Dade's Anti-Venom Unit told CBS4 News the pain can be 10 times more severe than a scorpion's sting because of the centipede's large fangs and toxic venom.
Rare Attack By Man's Pet Vietnamese Centipede

Replies (4)

taphillip Feb 12, 2006 06:21 PM

If anyone has any, I would love a case history of this bite! Or any other info.

My email is terry@reptilegardens.com

Thanks
T-
-----
It's what you learn AFTER you know it all that counts!

Terry Phillip
Curator of Reptiles
Black Hills Reptile Gardens
Rapid City, SD.

www.reptilegardens.com

Ryan Shackleton Feb 13, 2006 12:26 AM

Never been able to find out-are these centipedes truly "deadle/dangerously venomous" or is it a case of exaggeration about a bite with severe pain? I did speak with someone who was bitten by a Usambara red centipede(don't know if this is the same species or not). He mentioned extreme pain for 8-10 hours but didn't say if he received any treatment.

orinoco Feb 14, 2006 04:59 PM

it is definitely not the same species of centipede. the one in this article is from vietnam, while the one that you mention is from south-eastern africa.

FLherp Feb 15, 2006 10:06 PM

Probably not the species mentioned, but interesting nonetheless.
Centipede Envenomations from WMS

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