The species is considered to be a giant type of centipede as it can grow up to 20cm (8in).The creature was discovered in 2001 in Thailand by a entomologist from London's National History Museum, during his honeymoon, the National Geographic reports. It hid under a rock by a stream and escaped swimming in the water when discovered.
Scolopendra cataracta, from the Latin for “waterfall”, has been found in Laos, Thailand and Vietnam and was seen scurrying into the water by entomologist George Beccaloni, during his honeymoon to Thailand in 2001.
Centipedes eat other invertebrates but also snakes and mice. Their small fangs can pierce human skin for a non-lethal but agonising bite.
Only four specimens have been found of this type of centipede, the first collected in Vietnam in 1928, which for decades was held in the Natural History Museum, misidentified as a more common species. None have ever been observed swimming before.Looks like we can add giant amphibious centipedes to the list of things that’ll make you think twice about taking a dip in a river.
The creature is carnivorous, venomous, and composed entirely of nightmares, is the first known centipede capable of living both in water and on land -
Others
would have already fled the scene as if the hounds of hell were nipping
at their heels, but Beccaloni persisted with his pursuit until he
captured the critter. Then, he deposited it in a container filled with
water. As it swam to the bottom, it undulated its body horizontally,
which is similar to how eels move around. - See more at:
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/571645/scitech/science/giant-swimming-centipede-discovered-in-southeast-asia#sthash.EHLow9xY.dpuf