Megapede dereponecis

Megapede dereponecis Species Giant centipede (Megapede dereponecis) Length 3-5 feet Place(s) of emergence Skull Island Relations Megapede horridus, Megapede humus, Megapede impurus (relative species) Allies Each other Enemies Ann Darrow, dinosaursTWoK Created by Peter Jackson First appearance King Kong (2005) Roar(s)

Not to be confused with Megapede.

Megapede dereponecis is a fictional species of giant centipede native to Skull Island that appears in the 2005 film King Kong.

Name

The name Megapede dereponecis means "creeping-death giant-feet".

Design

The Megapede dereponecis design is based on real arthropods of the group Chilopoda, commonly known as centipedes. It has an elongated body consisting of sixteen segments, brownish-orange on the upper side and lighter underneath. The upper side of the segments is covered with tubercles. The head has pairs of hooked, sharp maxillae and mandibles, as well as segmented antennae.

Ecology

Megapede dereponecis from Skull Island was the largest centipede that had ever existed. They were too heavy to climb high in trees, so they hunted among the roots. They attacked small animals, including dinosaur chicks, which they killed with a fast-acting, immobilizing venom. The females laid their eggs in rotting logs, gnawing channels in the soft wood. They actively defended their nests from predators.

History

• King Kong (2005)

King Kong (2005)

While running from two Foetodons, Ann Darrow hid inside a rotting log. One of the predators went after her, breaking through the wood, but was seized and killed by a Vastatosaurus before it could reach her. While resting after the chase, Darrow suddenly saw an adult Megapede dereponecis crawling towards her from above. The animal leaned down, moving its mandibles and stretched out its antennae, touching Darrow's shocked face and opened mouth. Stunned with horror, she felt a second centipede crawling onto her shoulder from behind. Unable to bear it any longer, Darrow screamed, pushed the centipede away from her, and ran outside.

Abilities

Chitin

The body of Megapede dereponecis is covered with chitin, which protects it from attacks by other predators and also allows it to camouflage itself in the shadows.

Crawling

With the help of its tenacious limbs, M. dereponecis can crawl on vertical and inverted surfaces.

Mandibles

M. dereponecis has a pair of hooked mandibles which it uses for hunting and chewing channels in wood.

Haptic perception

Like real centipedes, M. dereponecis has a pair of long antennae that it uses for touch.

Venom

M. dereponecis has a fast-acting venom, enough to immobilize dinosaur chicks.

Weaknesses

Because of its size, M. dereponecis cannot climb high into the trees. Like real chilopods, it has poor eyesight, so it must rely on its sense of touch.

Books

• The World of Kong: A Natural History of Skull Island (2005)
• King Kong: Kong's Kingdom (2005)
• King Kong: Journey to Skull Island (2005)

Games

• King Kong: The 8th Wonder of the World - Pinball Game (2006) - mobile devices [video]

Gallery

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Trivia

• In Christopher Golden's novelization of the movie, Megapede dereponecis do not appear. When Ann Darrow hides in the tree trunk, a huge spider with legs at least two feet long tries to crawl onto her instead.

References

This is a list of references for Megapede dereponecis. These citations are used to identify the reliable sources on which this article is based. These references appear inside articles in the form of superscript numbers, which look like this: ^[1]

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