And for that matter, why would any wildlife cross human roads, chicken or not?
Of course, to get to the other side, what else.
While I was sitting in my sofa chair reading an article on my smartphone, I noticed a baby centipede slowly coming towards my bed from near my computer chair.
My first thought was to crush and kill it but immediately I was reminded of a relative's reaction when once I spotted an ant on our table at a café.
He had said: "There are wildlife. So what? They have to live, too. Why are you scared of a living being?"
I was been a scaredy-cat because that was how our generation was brought up: of making us fear things unnecessarily by been overly cautious but without any scientific basis.
One of my late relatives in fact lived a life of contradictions making me wonder what I should fear and what I shouldn’t.
She would say djinn would not live in areas where there is electricity and I would be thinking how she knew that because electricity was a late arrival in contrast to the history of spirits whose stories reach back to ancient times. Perhaps, did she mean to say that djinns would be scared of all kinds of light – paraffin lamps, candles, and all?
She would then caution me on other things such as to be wary of centipedes "because they are poisonous and will definitely kill you if they bite you".
In later life I wondered whether her warnings bordered on "urban legends".
Urban legends are actually contemporary folklore stories that circulate widely but often lack verifiable evidence. These narratives are typically passed down through word of mouth and may involve elements of horror, humor, or even moral lessons. Urban legends often play on common fears or anxieties and can vary from region to region.
According to science, centipedes are "venomous", not "poisonous" and that is a difference: they inject venom through their pincers to immobilize prey, but their venom is typically not harmful to humans, causing only mild reactions in most cases.
The main difference between venomous and poisonous is in how the harmful substance is delivered. Creatures like snakes or centipedes are venomous because they inject venom through a bite or sting. On the other hand, something is considered poisonous if it delivers harmful substances when touched or consumed, like certain plants or frogs.
In a nutshell, venom is actively delivered, while poison is passively experienced.
If you are bitten by a centipede, clean the bite area with mild soap and water. Applying a cold compress can help reduce swelling. Over-the-counter pain relievers may alleviate discomfort. However, if there are severe symptoms or an allergic reaction, seek medical attention promptly.
Despite my initial thought that I should stomp on that baby centipede when I had the chance in order to prevent it from reaching adulthood and murdering a human, I was suddenly reminded that I was too absorbed with other things and had never bothered to check the truth behind so many stuff we were fed in childhood that were not based on research and facts.
So I set aside the article I was reading and did a Google search and ChatGPT query whether centipedes are poisonous and wrote this blogpost incorporating the information I found.
Then I looked up and found that the baby centipede in my room was going back in the direction it came from.
Armed with the new knowledge that it was more or less harmless, I decided to ignore it and instead do some work on my laptop.
I finished writing an article I had begun and finished watching a film I had started. Probably it took me a better part of two hours and when I thought of sitting in my sofa chair to read a book I had started reading the day before, I found the centipede still roaming near my computer table. I wondered why.
I refrained from taking it outside, thinking that since it had made its way into my room on its own, there might be a reason of its own and that it was not my place to guide it around. So I just let it be and hit the sack.
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