scorpions and centipedes
in urban singapore

children these days do not have the kind of encounter with these fearsome creatures in our urban environment. those days when we were living in kampongs or when we camped at rural areas, the centipede was not an uncommon sight unlike the scorpion. we hardly saw scorpions.

some days, when it rained heavily, the centipede - about 15cm long - would drop fom the roof of our attap hut. when we had camps at pulau tekong, we would always remind the campers to check before putting on their shoes. a few of them had been stung by centipedes which had crawled into their shoes during the night.

centipedes may be found in a variety of habitats but prefer moist, protected places such as under stones, rotted logs, leaves or bark. centipedes feed on live insects and other small animals. they do not damage plants.

scorpions are carnivores. they eat insects, spiders, lizards and small rodents. most scorpions are nocturnal, resting under rocks, in crevices or in burrows during the day.

in all my years living in a kampong, i had never come across a scorpion. have seen centipedes, poisonous coral snakes, pythons and an ant-eater but not the scorpion.