I often hear that house centipedes have “too many legs” from people who aren’t as fond of all the Appendage as I am.

however, did you know that they aren’t born with all those legs?

this little bug nugget is an hours-old baby house centipede, with only 4 legs to her name!

as she grows, she’ll add a pair or two each time she molts her exoskeleton, until she reaches 15 pairs in the sequence 4-5-7-9-11-13-15. the purple capsule at her butt is a legless segment where the new ones will come in when they’re ready!

house centipedes can grow all their legs in just one summer, but will probably not be sexually mature for another year or two. since they keep slowly molting and growing after adulthood, some of the huge, ancient ones you see might be over 5 years old—what secrets the elder basement fairies must know, gleaned from cobwebs and crevices