I found this Narceus americanus while looking around a stream in Ellicott City, Maryland.

Photo By Andrea Staros

Backyard Creature Of The Week:

Narceus americanus is a large North American millipede. It inhabits the eastern seaboard of North America west to Georgetown, Texas, north of the Ottine swamps. It has a nearly cylindrical gray body, reaching a length of 4 inches (100 mm). When threatened, they sometimes curl up or release a noxious liquid that contains large amounts of benzoquinones which can cause dermatological burns. This fluid may irritate eyes or skin. Many other millipedes secrete hydrogen cyanide, and while there have also been claims that N. americanus releases hydrogen cyanide, this is not true. They do however, excrete a substance that causes a temporary, non-harmful discoloration of the skin. (Wiki.)

Photo By Andrea Staros

Alpheidae is a family of caridean snapping shrimp characterized by having asymmetrical claws, the larger of which is typically capable of producing a loud snapping sound. Other common names of these species include pistol shrimp or alpheid shrimp. The snapping shrimp grows to only 1–2 inches (3–5 cm) long. It is distinctive for its remarkably disproportionate large claw, larger than half the shrimp’s body. The claw can be on either arm of the body, and unlike most shrimp claws does not have pincers at the end. Rather, it has a pistol-like feature made of two parts. A joint allows the “hammer” part to move backward into a right-angled position. When released, it snaps into the other part of the claw, emitting an enormously powerful wave of bubbles capable of stunning larger fish and breaking small glass jars. The snap creates a cavitation bubble that generates acoustic pressures of up to 80 kPa at a distance of 4 cm from the claw. As it extends out from the claw, the bubble reaches speeds of 60 miles per hour (97 km/h) and releases a sound reaching 218 decibels. (Wiki.)

The arrow crab, is a species of marine crab. The body of the arrow crab is triangular, and the rostrum is drawn out into a long point with serrate edges. The legs are also long and thin, up to 10 cm (3.9 in) across, and the animal’s carapace may be up to 6 centimetres (2.4 in) long. Colouration is variable in this species: the body may be golden, yellow or cream, marked with brown, black or iridescent blue lines; the legs are reddish or yellow, and the claws are blue or violet. It is nocturnal and territorial. It eats small feather duster worms and other coral reef invertebrates. They are commonly kept in reef aquariums to control bristle worm population.(Wiki.)

PHOTO BY: Nick Hobgood

According to The Telegraph:

Adventurer Mark Moffett has found the world’s biggest insect - which is so huge it can eat carrots. The renowned entomologist discovered the giant weta up a tree and his real life Bugs Bunny has now been declared the largest ever found. He came across the cricket-like creature, which has a wing span of seven inches, after two days of searching on a tiny island. The creepy crawly is only found on Little Barrier Island, in New Zealand. The species was wiped off the mainland by rats accidentally introduced by Europeans. (The Telegraph)

Cicada Emerging From Its Exoskeleton

I found this centipede while cleaning the porcupine enclosure at work on Monday.

Scolopendra polymorpha, the common desert centipede, inhabits dry grasslands, forest and desert; in these habitats the centipedes will generally take up residence under rocks, though they have been observed creating burrows in suitable environments and inside rotting logs. Its body generally reaches 4–7 inches (10–18 cm) in length. Coloration is variable, hence the species name “polymorpha” which means “many forms”, and alternative common names like “multi-colored centipede”. The body segments have one dark lateral stripe, and for this reason is also known as the tiger centipede or tiger-stripe centipede. Generally this species has a darker brown, red, or orange colored head and lighter brown, tan, or orange body segments with yellow legs. Its antennae have 7 or more smooth segments. (Wiki.)