Creature with spindly long legs meets tragic end in Bukit Batok

Submitted by Stomper Tay

This story was submitted via Stomp App contribution.

Stomper Tay spotted a bizarre-looking creature running across a linkway at Block 236, Bukit Batok East Avenue 5 on Friday morning (June 8).

Tay, who saw the critter at the void deck at around 8am, said it resembled a cockroach.

He said: "It was about the size of a cockroach and had many long legs.

"It ran very fast like a cockroach too."

Unfortunately, the odd creature met its untimely end when someone stepped on it.

"A passer-by saw the insect and stepped on it intentionally, so it died."

The animal is likely to be a house centipede ('Scutigera coleoptrata'), which is sometimes referred to as being "hundred-legged".

(Photo: Bruce Marlin/Wikimedia Commons)

Here are some facts about the house centipede:

  • Typically yellowish-grey with stripes on body and legs

  • Has up to 15 pairs of legs that give it fast speed

  • Has two long antenna on its head and two long appendages on its rear

  • Feeds on insects

  • Lifespan of three to seven years

  • Preference for warm, tropical and humid climates

Update:

As a user has pointed out in the comments below, the critter could also be a forest-dwelling centipede ('Thereuopoda longicornis').