A US soldier holds up a Jungle Centipede during the Vietnam War, 1967





A US soldier holds up a Jungle Centipede during the Vietnam War, 1967

Centipedes are regarded as some of the worst bugs in Asia. Some centipedes will bite humans, and some species of centipedes found in Vietnam are venomous! Some centipedes found in Asia are often more aggressive than centipedes found in the Western World. Giant centipedes like to hide in small places and can be found in places like your shoes! I'm sure the boys in Vietnam were not used to seeing them!

It is thought the camera angle may have enlarged the centipede or the centipede itself is being held towards the camera, making it appear more significant, though the creature can grow to go large sizes.

A US soldier holding up a giant jungle centipede during the Vietnam War, 1967

Okay, so if everything you’ve read or seen about Vietnam isn’t bad enough, it turns out that there were also giant bugs just crawling around and waiting to eat our brave servicemen. There are a few different types of giant bugs running through the Vietnam jungle, but the scolopendra subspinipes is especially gross.

These massive centipedes usually grow from  about 4" to 8" in length but they can get bigger. And yes, they bite. However it should be noted that if you’re a centipede collector they’re one of the easiest to keep as a pet....

A US soldier "holds up" a jungle centipede during the Vietnam War, 1967. 

While this is not Photoshopped, the soldier (and photographer) actually had a bit of fun with forced perspective. The centipede is suspended from a string and held closer to the camera giving off the illusion that it is giant in size. It's actually about ten inches in length.


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