a centipede is a type of myriapod with many legs. centipedes are predators. they hunt during the night; they are nocturnal. some centipedes are venomous, but none can kill a person unless they are allergic. centipedes are in the class chilopoda, and related to millipedes, which are not poisonous. as the millipedes, they are segmented. they have between 5 and 173 segments, but only one pair of legs per segment. there may be 8,000 species in the world.