Is my little friend male or female?

June 3, 2007 2:32 PM

BugFilter: Is there a simple (or any) way to determine the gender of a centipede? The google, it does nothing.
posted by nsillik to Science & Nature (6 answers total)

Whatever you do, don't Google "centipede sex". I mean it.
posted by Optamystic at 2:55 PM on June 3, 2007 [4 favorites]

There's really no surefire way to determine this without dissecting your centipede, although this page offers a few hints, not to mention some pictures that may very well haunt your nightmares for years to come.

To be in the safe side, I'd give your little friend a nice ambiguous name like "Chris" or "Pat" or "Broodax."
posted by infinitywaltz at 3:18 PM on June 3, 2007

Thanks for the warning Optamystic. Did you really think it would help?

But maybe you have something here. The Google search for that Optamystic so kindly warned as against shows this lovely picture of two centipedes, which may actually be millipedes, makin nookie. So judging from this picture, which is not very scientific of me at all, I would say that the female is the lighter of the two. (or the one on the bottom)
posted by dnthomps at 5:39 PM on June 3, 2007 [1 favorite]

Female house centipedes are bigger and meatier and crunchy.
posted by JJ86 at 5:45 PM on June 3, 2007

"There is little or no sexual dimorphism except for the gonopods and anal legs. Some centipedes are parthenogenetic, thus producing female clones"

From here.
posted by dhruva at 6:20 PM on June 3, 2007

My best advice would be to keep a small group together in terrarium and the one that lays eggs, clearly female.
posted by Toekneesan at 6:59 PM on June 3, 2007