Centipede Intelligence

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Centipede Intelligence

Postby Fenrisco » Wed Sep 01, 2010 6:33 pm

I fucking hate centipedes. Unfortunately, I live in a part of the world where they grow big - 20 to even 30 cm long. Poisonous, too.

For years, I've assumed they were stupid, arrogant creatures - scurrying across the floors of brightly-lit rooms like idiots, ignoring predators (me), and so on.

However, while walking around the compound late last night I sneaked up behind a 20cm monster bastard with red legs that was sitting motionless next to a drain grille. Given that this is the middle of summer in a tropical country, that's an excellent place to lie in wait for cockroaches emerging from the drainage system. A very smart thing to do. The centipede was so engrossed in its task it remained motionless, watching the drain, up until the moment I sliced it in half with my knife. Then, albeit reluctantly, it turned its attention to me and the two halves tried to outflank me in a pincer maneuver and I was forced to divide and conquer even further.

So, my question to those with experience is simple: centipedes - smart or stupid?
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Re: Centipede Intelligence

Postby coldharvest » Wed Sep 01, 2010 6:45 pm

bugs?
stupid with superior instincts
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Re: Centipede Intelligence

Postby Fenrisco » Wed Sep 01, 2010 6:57 pm

coldharvest wrote:bugs?
stupid with superior instincts


Yup, great at predation, terrible at self-protection is my analysis of the centipede's programming. A valuable lesson to all us single-minded fellows.

I should also add that today marks the first time I have killed a palmetto bug (big-ass flying, heat-seeking cockroach) with a rope whip. Ha ha ha.
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Re: Centipede Intelligence

Postby Michael » Thu Sep 02, 2010 4:20 am

They wouldn't do well on the SATs, but can probably do a good job of following a scent trail to a food source.
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Re: Centipede Intelligence

Postby Caliban » Thu Sep 02, 2010 2:21 pm

Fenrisco wrote:
coldharvest wrote:bugs?
stupid with superior instincts


Yup, great at predation, terrible at self-protection is my analysis of the centipede's programming. A valuable lesson to all us single-minded fellows.

I should also add that today marks the first time I have killed a palmetto bug (big-ass flying, heat-seeking cockroach) with a rope whip. Ha ha ha.



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Re: Centipede Intelligence

Postby friendlyskies » Fri Sep 03, 2010 5:44 pm

I trip out on ants sometimes. I'll be sitting in the woods, chilling out nicely, when I'll see an ant colony. Central America has all kinds of fucked up ants. They have these ants that will wait until they're all over your leg, or even all over your body if you're asleep, then they'll all bite you at the same time. WTF? They can't talk. It's pheremones.

The coolest ant of all, possibly the coolest insect of all, is the leafcutter. They're very common, even in cities - you'll see neat rows of them carrying the multicolored petals of ornamental plants, rather than green leaves, across the graffitied sidewalk. And it doesn't matter what kind of tourist you've got in tow - sullen teens, zipper-pantsed retirees, sex tourists, missionary groups - the first time they see leafcutter ants, they use up all the memory and batteries in their cameras, which makes the subsequent monkey encounter a little bittersweet.

They are amazing, though. There are all different kinds - soldiers, workers, and the gals who maintain the line, sort of running back and forth to keep anyone from falling of the branch. I've seen them carry a leaf for a particular worker ant for a while, then give it back to her before running back on the line. They have these HUGE ant hills. And they are so "smart." For instance, when you see the ant hill, guaranteed that the queen will be in a tiny hill ten feet away, what you're looking at is farmland. (They're farmers, not scavengers - they mulch the leaves to grow fungus underground.) And they won't eat a leaves of trees near their home, they go on expeditions of several city blocks in all directions.

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