---
title: "Red-headed Centipede"
description: "Scolopendra morsitans — Outros animais. Scolopendra morsitans, also known as the Tanzanian blue ringleg or red-headed centipede, is a species of centipede in the family Scolopendridae."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/pt/animal/red-headed-centipede
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Red-headed Centipede

> Scolopendra morsitans — Outros animais. Scolopendra morsitans, also known as the Tanzanian blue ringleg or red-headed centipede, is a species of centipede in the family Scolopendridae.

- Scientific name: *Scolopendra morsitans*
- Category: `other` (Outros animais)
- Habitats: unknown
- iNaturalist observations: 3317
- Wikidata: [Q3808833](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3808833)
- iNaturalist taxon: [447908](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/447908)

## Names

- en: Red-headed Centipede
- pl: Skolopendra zwyczajna

## Countries with the most observations

AU (1068), IN (261), ZA (230), US (158), NA (112), ZW (61), JP (60), TH (58), BW (39), PH (25), TW (19), ID (18)

## Summary

Scolopendra morsitans, also known as the Tanzanian blue ringleg or red-headed centipede, is a species of centipede in the family Scolopendridae. S. morsitans is the type species for the genus Scolopendra.
Adult Tanzanian blue ringlegs grow to around 13 centimetres (5.1 in) and are generally characterised by bright red heads and striated body segments; however, their colouration varies widely across regional populations. The species is found across all inhabited continents and is highly invasive. The centipede is an aggressive and opportunistic predator which hunts primarily at night and feeds on other arthropods and…

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scolopendra_morsitans

## Photo

![Red-headed Centipede](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/red-headed-centipede/medium.jpg)

Photo: Joshua S. Martin · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/224638487

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/red-headed-centipede?lang=pt` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).