CENTIPEDEs

Lithobius forficatus - brown and fast

There are 57 species of centipedes in Britain but I tend to to think of them just as the brown fast ones like Lithobius forficatus,  and the busy, long, yellow ones, like Geophilus flavus that move away much more slowly.  The centipede below is one of the yellows.  You can see that although it has legs it pulls itself through the earth in the same way that an earthworm does, expanding forwards and then contracting to bring the rear part along.  

They prefer damp conditions and, although blind, they avoid light, burrowing like a living thread through the gaps in the soil.  It's a bit puzzling to work out which is the front and which is the back because they have antennae at both ends.

They feed on young earthworms, mites and insect larvae.

After mating the female lays about 50 eggs and guards them, not only till they hatch, but until they can feed and fend for themselves.  What good mothers they are!