Despite their name, centipedes can have many fewer or many more than 100 legs. The more common and familiar kinds have 15 or 20 pairs of legs, although some of the very long, slender kinds have 170–300 pairs; in all cases centipedes have an odd number of pairs of legs. Centipedes have a round, flattened head and a pair of antennae. They have a pair of elongated mandibles and two pairs of maxillae, with the first pair of maxillae forming the lower lip and bearing short flaps. The first pair of limbs stretch forward from the body and are known as maxillipeds. They end in sharp claws and include venom glands to help the centipede kill or paralyze its prey.
The trunk consists of 15 or more segments and each segment has a single pair of legs. The first segment has the maxillipeds and the final two segments are small and do not have legs. Each pair of legs are slightly longer than the pair in front of it, this is to ensure that they do not overlap and collide when the centipede is moving rapidly.
The trunk consists of 15 or more segments and each segment has a single pair of legs. The first segment has the maxillipeds and the final two segments are small and do not have legs. Each pair of legs are slightly longer than the pair in front of it, this is to ensure that they do not overlap and collide when the centipede is moving rapidly.