House Centipede in a sink drain

Good Morning, Honey!

I found the One Picture a Day for today staring me in the face this morning. A house centipede, Scutigera coleoptrata, was visiting the sink at work. He, or she, waited patiently while I retrieved my camera. This photogenic species was originally from the Mediterranean, but is now found throughout the world. They frequent humid area in homes such as basements and bathrooms. Like all centipedes, they are carnivores; this one enjoys insects and other small arthropods. (Also enjoys line dancing and long walks.) Also like all centipedes, he, or she, has poisoned jaws. Their mouthparts are generally too small to penetrate on human skin, though it can happen. The bite is similar to a bee sting, with localizes redness or swelling. They are not the bite to defend type though; perhaps if they got caught in a tight spot, like up a pant leg. You know, like while you are sleeping. This fellow was having a hard time getting out of the sink, so I gave it a lift up and out. He, or she, disappeared along the baseboard somewhere. Probably still there. Watching. Waiting.

House Centipede uncropped

House Centipede uncropped

This image is heavily cropped from the original. This photo highlights the advantages of the Nikon 18-55mm VR lens. It is a kit lens that often gets sold off for better glass. I sold mine off, then ended up buying another one (I did upgrade to vibration reduction with the repurchase.) One reason among several I like this lens is that it focuses closely. On top of that, it is sharp, which gives the added flexibility of being able to crop to get closer. I am very pleased with the quality of the cropped image. I post-processed in Aperture, in addition to the usual tweaks to contrast, etc., I added a little sharpness.

It was a nice way to start the day!