Venom A-Z S is for scolopendra

Venom A-Z S is for scolopendra – a genus of centipedes. Centipedes are renowned for their ferocious hunting style, speed and painful bite, facilitated by a cocktail of compounds within their venom such as serotonin, haemolytic phospholipase A and cytolysin. Species such as scolopendra mutilans have been found to contain a peptide that is an antibiotic and has an inhibitory effect on certain cancers, as well as a potent NaV-1.7 voltage gated channel blocker. Pictured below is an example of a common Scolopendra species - S. hardwickei, from our collection.