These large black animals have heavy claws like scorpions, but instead of a stinger they have a long hair-like tail. When threatened, they emit a strong vinegar-like smell, which gives them their name. The centipede is perhaps the fastest predatory arthropod. It has a pair of yellow legs on each black body segment and may reach at least 7 long. It can deliver a hard bite with its front pincers.
Many people confuse the centipede with the slow-moving millipede.
It has a round, reddish-brown body with two pairs of legs on each body segment, and eats fungus and decaying vegetation. The millipede is most often seen on park roads after rain. Rain brings out many other animals, including the red velvet mite. These small animals look like fuzzy red ticks, and are only seen during the rainy season.