# And now, a picture of a young boy with an enormous centipede on his head. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 30, 2005, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-now-a-picture-of-a-young-boy-with-an-enormous-centipede-on-his-head/319180 "2005-08-30T00:47:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2005, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-now-a-picture-of-a-young-boy-with-an-enormous-centipede-on-his-head/319180/41 "2005-08-30T15:57:48Z")
> [@Lady Venom](#): > > That bug is a [Giant African Millipede](http://www.sfzoo.org/cgi-bin/animals.py?ID=43) > > I am afraid of all buggy things, and I held one of these at the local zoo. They are amazing to hold!! And they are quite harmless. They are commonly sold as pets, in fact. I’ve never owned one, mostly because I think they’re pretty boring. Still, they make for rather unusual and low-maintenance pets. ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2005, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-now-a-picture-of-a-young-boy-with-an-enormous-centipede-on-his-head/319180/42 "2005-08-30T18:05:06Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > This is your brain on bugs. > > Any questions? No no no. This is bugs on your brain. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2005, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-now-a-picture-of-a-young-boy-with-an-enormous-centipede-on-his-head/319180/43 "2005-08-30T18:23:41Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > A millipede is OK. I was pretty creeped out when I thought it was a centipede. > > But of course I opened it anyway. I tawt I taw a thentipede… I did, I did thee a thentipede[/Tweety] ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2005, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-now-a-picture-of-a-young-boy-with-an-enormous-centipede-on-his-head/319180/44 "2005-08-30T18:32:57Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > Kid with an enormous millipede on his head walks into a bar… So, finish the joke already. And make sure it ends differently from my previous post! ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2005, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-now-a-picture-of-a-young-boy-with-an-enormous-centipede-on-his-head/319180/45 "2005-08-30T18:50:17Z")
> [@Monstre](#): > > And now, a boy with a huge centipede on his head with a tape recorder up its nose… And now, a boy with a huge centipede on his _brother’s_ head with a tape recorder up its nose. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2005, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-now-a-picture-of-a-young-boy-with-an-enormous-centipede-on-his-head/319180/46 "2005-08-30T18:54:09Z")
Our local Petco sells those things, should anyone want one as a pet. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2005, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-now-a-picture-of-a-young-boy-with-an-enormous-centipede-on-his-head/319180/47 "2005-08-30T18:55:43Z")
Mrs Shibb, who is from Thailand, always told me those were poisonous, or bit, or somesuch. Can anyone debunk that, or is there a more dangerous version in Southeast Asia? ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2005, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-now-a-picture-of-a-young-boy-with-an-enormous-centipede-on-his-head/319180/48 "2005-08-30T19:34:13Z")
Aren’t centipedes poisonous, not millipedes? And don’t look at me like I’m crazy or something, but whenever I see a huge bug like that, I always imagine how gross it would be to eat it. Is that some holdover from when we swung in the trees, or am I just nuts? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2005, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-now-a-picture-of-a-young-boy-with-an-enormous-centipede-on-his-head/319180/49 "2005-08-30T19:41:10Z")
Centipedes are poisonous. I don’t know of any millipedes that are. Many months back I posted quotes from the **Eat a Bug Cookbook** , a real cookbook that’;s really about eating bugs. One of my best culinary purchases _ever_. I don’t think I’ll ever make any of the recipes, but the book is a goldmine of information. Plus it’s fun to read aloud and watch other people turn green. I learn from this book that centipedes are edible, but that millipedes aren’t – they’re poisonous _to eat_. Someone else on the Board noted that some centipedes were, too. So don’t go frying up centipedes unless you can tell the poisonous ones from the non-poisonous ones. And always clip off the “poison jaws” before you eat. And the sex organs, if you’re fastidious. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2005, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-now-a-picture-of-a-young-boy-with-an-enormous-centipede-on-his-head/319180/50 "2005-08-30T20:32:53Z")
And put a bamboo skewer through it, so it doesn’t curl up on the grill. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2005, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-now-a-picture-of-a-young-boy-with-an-enormous-centipede-on-his-head/319180/51 "2005-08-30T20:40:23Z")
That contrary beast has got _Fear Factor_ written all over it. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2005, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-now-a-picture-of-a-young-boy-with-an-enormous-centipede-on-his-head/319180/52 "2005-08-30T21:32:44Z")
More like _Four Factor_, since it has two leg pairs per segment. ---
**Author:** ![Anastasaeon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Anastasaeon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anastasaeon)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2005, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-now-a-picture-of-a-young-boy-with-an-enormous-centipede-on-his-head/319180/53 "2005-08-30T21:43:40Z")
> [@pinkfreud](#): > > I’ve handled millipedes much larger than that at the Tulsa State Fair. Every year they have a neat “Bug Zoo” where you can play with huge crawly things like tarantulas and millipedes and such. Here’s a pic of me with a very large [walkingstick](http://www.mortalwombat.com/Special/Me_with_Walkingstick.jpg) on my arm. **pinkfreud** , you’re _adorable_! And you’ve got nerves of steel, I get all jittery just looking at that thing. Look at it! It’s _right there_! On your _arm_! ARGH! _hyperventilates_ Big bugs… ugh. I hate little bugs. But bugs with many, many legs I hate the most. Those suckers can _move_. A spider (fine, it’s an animal, but it’s bug-like enough to me) with eight legs moves at frightening speeds, I can’t even begin to fathom this… this thing. If it wanted to, it could be up one leg and down the other fifty times before I finally passed out in fright. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2005, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-now-a-picture-of-a-young-boy-with-an-enormous-centipede-on-his-head/319180/54 "2005-08-30T21:48:15Z")
**Anastasaeon** , you need to rent _Starship Troopers_. Trust me. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2005, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-now-a-picture-of-a-young-boy-with-an-enormous-centipede-on-his-head/319180/55 "2005-08-30T21:49:43Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Centipedes are poisonous. I don’t know of any millipedes that are. I found this in a US Army Guide for Staying Healthy in Thailand: > [@](#): > > Some centipedes and spiders have a painful bite and scorpions have a painful sting. Some millipedes and beetles can squirt or secrete a fluid that can blister your skin. I’m betting those millipedes don’t make such good pets. ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2005, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-now-a-picture-of-a-young-boy-with-an-enormous-centipede-on-his-head/319180/56 "2005-08-30T23:14:45Z")
> [@ShibbOleth](#): > > I found this in a US Army Guide for Staying Healthy in Thailand: > > I’m betting those millipedes don’t make such good pets. Funny, the Bug’s Guide To Staying Healthy In South-East Asia says almost exactly the same thing about the US Army. I love the smell of squirting fluid in the morning. It reminds me of…victory. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2005, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-now-a-picture-of-a-young-boy-with-an-enormous-centipede-on-his-head/319180/57 "2005-08-30T23:20:48Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > And put a bamboo skewer through it, so it doesn’t curl up on the grill. I _definitely_ don’t want any centipedes curling up on my grill. No sirree bob! ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2005, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-now-a-picture-of-a-young-boy-with-an-enormous-centipede-on-his-head/319180/58 "2005-08-30T23:26:34Z")
Looks like a confused kid with a unibrow. ---
**Author:** ![Telperien](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@Telperien](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperien)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2005, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-now-a-picture-of-a-young-boy-with-an-enormous-centipede-on-his-head/319180/59 "2005-08-31T01:16:02Z")
If you were fastidious, would you even be eating bugs in the first place? ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2005, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-now-a-picture-of-a-young-boy-with-an-enormous-centipede-on-his-head/319180/60 "2005-08-31T01:17:22Z")
Just not on Fridays. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-now-a-picture-of-a-young-boy-with-an-enormous-centipede-on-his-head/319180.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-now-a-picture-of-a-young-boy-with-an-enormous-centipede-on-his-head/319180.md?page=4)