This is the reason why you should never stand on a centipede if you find one in your home. With their multiple legs, long bodies, and twitchy feelers, centipedes aren't the prettiest bugs. Indeed, these critters can scare people so much that their first reaction is to reach for the bug spray. Before you do that, however, there's something about centipedes you should know. They may not be winning any beauty contest, but these little monsters are actually pretty incredible, and not just because they can turn grown men and women into streaking banshees. To start with a single fascinating fact, they actually have no backbones. The centipedes that is not the screaming humans. Otherwise known as scudagera, coliaptrata, no matter what they delatinized it, the common house centipede is an arthropod. This means that not only does the creature have jointed legs and no spiral column, but he also has thick skin. Incredibly thick skin, in fact, one of the defining characteristics of arthropods is their exoskeletons. The solidified shell casing, or chitin, makes them as tough as a tank in their world. So despite being widely hated and feared by humans, centipedes have a lot going for them. Diversity for one, yes, so-called house centipedes aren't in fact just one species. They're actually a group of similar species, though most of them have a yellowish tint to their segmented bodies. What's more, their bodies are designed to confuse. Not only are centipede legs long in comparison to their torsos, but so are their antennae. As a result, the critters may appear to be double the length that they actually are, and those legs aren't just for show either. Yep, a centipede can really move. Their little limbs can take them across surfaces at up to 1.3 feet per second from a standing start. Furthermore, it isn't just floors that they can scurry across. Walls and ceilings won't stop their sprints either, as these creepy crawlies can cling to sheer surfaces. Centipedes are more than used to traveling too. Technically, the little stoways are on permanent vacation, since they originally come from the Mediterranean region. Moreover, this detail explains why they make their way into homes, and it's not to scare humans despite what you may think. Centipedes like human environments, and they love the fact that you keep your home warm for them. They often come out of hiding from their compost teeps or piles of garbage debris when the weather cools. Humans aren't the most hospitable bunch, though. We get these halacious suckers in our apartment like clockwork around the change of season. One, ours Technica Forum user wrote back in August of 2001. I'm sorry, but nothing that big with that many legs should have any right to be anywhere near a house. Die, die, die. And it would seem that many people agree with this opinion. I'm so afraid of centipedes that if I see one, I will literally burst into tears. A Chicago now blogger wrote in February of 2014. Then I start looking for a can of hairspray or bug spray, and I go to town. Actually, a lot of people with chilepodophobia, a fear of centipedes, think the arthropods will pose a threat to them. Some people even believe that the critters have a venomous bite. Yet, while it's true that centipedes have venom, how centipedes can't really hurt humans? They can sting, but only do so as a last resort, and the effect is no more severe than than of a bee sting. In fact, the creature's struggle to even pierce human skin. They'd rather run in the opposite direction since a human is like a living mountain to them. Centipedes are smart enough to recognize danger. Yet, while humans have no need to fear centipedes, the same cannot be said for other bugs and insects. House centipedes are insectivores. They eat other household pests, and it's this that actually makes them good house guests. They pay rent by eating your spiders and unwanted squishy squatters. Plus, not only do they make a meal of the things that you don't like, but they're very good at it too. And that's another time when their long legs come into play. They hold their food sometimes including several victims at once while they deliver their venom. Incidentally, one other thing that people get wrong about house centipedes is that they don't actually bite, rather they sting. Yes, their venom is injected with force opules, which are adapted legs found close to their mouths. They have also been observed kicking their prey with their legs. And if their table manners haven't won you over to their side yet, consider this. House centipedes are also self-conscious. Yep, you might think they're hideous, but they do their best to look good for you. They even use their force opules to groom their legs. That said, if you still prefer a less leggy roommate, there are several ways to discourage house centipedes from bunking with you. If you keep your house dry, for example, by using a dehumidifier, then they'll be less interested in your abode. Moving any piles of wood or leaves away from your house will also make centipedes less frequent guests. If they don't live close, they're less likely to visit. Furthermore, spicy cayenne pepper is said to be a good natural deterrent, so spreading it around your house may prove effective. Well, they may not be the most glamorous of lodgers then, at least house centipedes help around the house. Indeed, they're only a real problem if you have an infestation, so the next time you go to step on a centipede, think about it. It might help you out more to let it go. Please share this video with your friends below.