The Poisoners Handbook : Centipedes & Millipedes in Malaysia
Dec 5, 2020 22:43:37 GMT
politicidal and permutojoe like this
Post by petrolino on Dec 5, 2020 22:43:37 GMT
TEMPLE OF THE CENTIPEDE
Cherry Red Scolopendra
People love to see the giant centipedes that roam the Amazon rainforest. In dinosaur times, centipedes grew as long as buses. They are great artists like spiders, but they will eat giant spiders. They will eat snakes, lizards, bats ... anything they can digest really.
"Centipede venoms pack a serious punch—causing rapid paralysis in lizards, cockroaches, and other animals unlucky enough to be on the invertebrate’s dinner menu. They’ve even been known to kill people, but until recently, we had no idea why. Now, scientists have identified a nasty toxin in centipede venom that wreaks havoc on the cardiovascular, respiratory, and nervous systems of other animals—allowing centipedes to kill mice 15 times their size in 30 seconds flat. The team first purified multiple toxins from the venom of the 20-centimeter-long golden head centipede (above), which lives in forests, farmlands, and cities across eastern Asia. Then, they experimented with the toxins, one by one. They found that something called Ssm Spooky Toxin shut off the channels that pump potassium in and out of cells—channels that are critical for sending brainwaves, maintaining a regular heartbeat, and controlling a whole host of other bodily functions, the team reports today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Without this one critical toxin, the venom isn’t nearly as deadly—giving scientists hope that an antivenom treatment could be made using drugs that open potassium channels."
- Katie Langin, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Liheia Metzengerstein performs 'The Heaviest Matter Of The Universe' by Gojira
Like the Alien, their cousins, the millipedes, can drip with deadly poisons, including high-dose cyanide. They can curl up tight to look like bouncy balls and project flourescent stripes in certain lights. In Malaysia, jungle archers use millipede secretions in poison-tipped arrows to defend against the threat of the pontianak. The rare golden millipedes of Malaysia prefer to avoid confrontation, their striking colour often warding off potential predators ... but if they need to throw down, they throw down ...
Malaysia : Freak Stylee
A Bug's Life
(~ within the jaw-droppingly beautiful forests & jungles of Malaysia)
Assassin Bug
(... wearing about 20 dead bodies of its victims ...")
Giant Cave Centipede
Orchid Mantis
Jewel Centipede
Ninja Slug
Giant Pill Millipedes ("Swirlers")
Vampire Moth (Calyptra, the blood-drinker)
Teenage Scolopendra
Trapdoor Spider
Baby Scolopendra
Liheia Metzengerstein performs 'Disciple' by Slayer
