Yes. Centipedes have been documented feeding on bats, including reports of Scolopendra gigantea in Venezuelan caves and a 2024 observation in India. But the evidence does not show that foot-long centipedes routinely hunt bats, and the Indian report never measured the centipede’s length or showed it catching a bat in flight.
What scientists have actually observed
The strongest recent evidence comes from a mini-review and case report by Manokaran Kamalakannan, Rahul Mondal and Dhriti Banerjee, published in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, volume 13, on 28 July 2025 (DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2025.1634037). The authors documented what they describe as the first confirmed case of centipede predation on a bat in Asia.
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During a zoological survey in a dry tropical forest near Nakpur village in Birbhum district, West Bengal, India, researchers saw a centipede feeding on a small bat inside a hollow in a sacred fig tree (Ficus religiosa). The interaction was observed at 20:30 on 19 June 2024 and recorded with photographs and video. The centipede was identified only as Rhysida sp.; the bat was identified only as Pipistrellus sp. The bat was estimated to be about 6 centimetres long. The paper does not state how long the centipede was.
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That distinction matters because the popular question combines two separate claims: whether a centipede can eat a bat, and whether a foot-long centipede routinely hunts bats. The Indian observation supports the first claim. It does not establish the second.
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How the Indian record differs from the familiar cave stories
The West Bengal event was not a report of a centipede flying up or ambushing a bat in open air. It was a direct observation of a centipede consuming a bat already inside a confined tree hollow. The researchers did not report how the bat was captured, whether it was alive when the centipede reached it, or whether the centipede had pursued it outside the hollow.
The review places this observation alongside earlier reports from the Americas, including Scolopendra gigantea preying on bats in Venezuelan caves. Those records support the broader conclusion that large scolopendrid centipedes can sometimes take bats as vertebrate prey. They should not be treated as if they were the same event: the genera, countries and settings differ, and the available reports do not provide a common measurement of centipede size or hunting frequency.
| Record | Centipede identification | Bat identification | Setting | What was documented | What was not established |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Bengal, India, 19 June 2024 | Rhysida sp. | Pipistrellus sp., approximately 6 cm | Hollow in a sacred fig tree | Researchers directly observed feeding and made photographs and video | Centipede length, capture method, frequency of bat predation and population effect |
| Venezuelan cave records summarized in the 2025 review | Scolopendra gigantea | Not stated in the account | Caves | Earlier reports of bat predation | A rate of predation, whether all events involved live capture, and a general rule for other centipede species |
Does “foot-long” describe the Indian centipede?
No measurement in the Indian paper supports that wording. The approximately 6-centimetre figure belongs to the bat, not the centipede. Because the predator was identified only to the genus Rhysida, attaching a specific length to it would go beyond the report.
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“Foot-long” is therefore best understood as a popular description of the kind of large centipede people associate with dramatic cave accounts, not as a verified measurement for the West Bengal animal. A centipede’s size is not needed to establish the central point: the observation documents a centipede feeding on a bat. Size would become relevant only when comparing the physical limits of different species or estimating how prey was subdued, and those analyses were not provided.
What centipedes normally eat
The review describes scolopendrid centipedes as generalist predators whose primary prey are arthropods. In other words, insects and other invertebrates make up the ordinary dietary context. The same review compiles occasional records of vertebrate prey, including bats.
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That pattern explains why a bat record is notable without being biologically impossible. “Generalist” does not mean every prey type is taken frequently; it means the group can use a range of prey when circumstances allow. A bat in a narrow hollow may present a very different opportunity from a fast-flying bat in open air. The available evidence does not tell us how often either situation occurs.
What the evidence proves—and what it does not
Established by the records
- Centipedes can consume small vertebrates, and bat predation has been documented.
- A Rhysida centipede was observed feeding on a Pipistrellus bat in West Bengal.
- Earlier American reports include Scolopendra gigantea preying on bats in Venezuelan caves.
- The Indian observation was direct and supported by photographs and video.
- The 2025 review considers the West Bengal event the first confirmed centipede-bat predation case reported from Asia.
Not established by the records
- That bat hunting is a routine part of centipede ecology.
- That the Indian centipede was a foot long.
- That the Indian centipede was Scolopendra dehaani or Scolopendra gigantea.
- That the centipede captured the bat while it was flying.
- How many bats centipedes kill, how often the behavior occurs, or whether it affects bat populations.
The review’s authors explicitly call for quantitative work on predation rates, prey selection and ecological consequences. Until those data exist, “documented” or “observed” is more accurate than “regularly hunts.”
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Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteWhy species names matter
Large centipedes are often identified in photographs by body shape or a common-name label. That is not enough to establish a species. The Indian report uses the cautious identification Rhysida sp., meaning the genus was determined but the species was not.
A 2015 taxonomic study of Scolopendra in mainland Southeast Asia illustrates why caution is necessary. It combined molecular phylogenetics, geometric morphometrics and external morphology and found geographic genetic subclades, including within the regional context of Scolopendra dehaani. Similar-looking animals can therefore represent different species or lineages, and a name attached by appearance alone can be wrong.
That background does not reclassify the West Bengal animal. The 2025 review identifies that predator as Rhysida sp., while the Venezuelan cave accounts concern Scolopendra gigantea. Keeping those names separate prevents a dramatic but unsupported species claim.
How to interpret the “hunt” in the question
In ordinary language, “hunt” can mean any predatory act. In a scientific account, the details of the encounter matter. The Indian evidence shows feeding in a tree hollow; it does not document pursuit, an aerial strike or a chase through a cave. The Venezuelan records are described as bat predation in caves, but the 2025 review does not establish a single capture technique shared by all cases.
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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteA careful description is therefore: centipedes have been observed preying on bats, sometimes in caves and, in the confirmed Asian case, in a fig-tree hollow. Saying that a centipede “flies up and catches bats” would add a behavior not demonstrated by the Indian observation.
What happened, and when?
The Indian record has a precise time and place, which makes it more useful than an undated viral photograph. A Zoological Survey of India team was conducting a faunal survey in a dry tropical forest at Nakpur village in Birbhum district. At 20:30 on 19 June 2024, the team encountered the interaction in a hollow of a sacred fig tree. Their photographs and video document the feeding event, while the written identification remains deliberately conservative: Rhysida sp. for the centipede and Pipistrellus sp. for the bat.
The date also clarifies the relationship between the observation and the publication. The encounter happened in 2024; Kamalakannan, Mondal and Banerjee published the review and case in 2025. It is not evidence that the behavior was newly evolved or newly common. It is a newly documented Asian record in the scientific literature.
Why one confirmed event is still limited evidence
A direct observation answers a possibility question: can this predator consume this kind of prey? It does not answer a frequency question. The West Bengal case could be unusual, locally recurring, or part of a pattern that has simply gone unnoticed. The report supplies no denominator—no number of centipedes watched, bats encountered, or nights surveyed—so a percentage or annual rate cannot be calculated.
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What stronger evidence would look like
Future work would need observations broad enough to estimate how often bat encounters occur, not just memorable examples. It would also need to distinguish the prey involved and document the circumstances of each event so researchers could analyze prey selection. Finally, studies would have to test ecological consequences rather than infer them from a striking photograph.
Those standards matter when comparing the Indian tree-hollow case with Venezuelan cave reports. The records differ in location, centipede genus and setting, and the available descriptions do not give matching measurements. Treating every dramatic account as one standardized behavior would erase the very details scientists use to evaluate evidence.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Could this affect bat populations?
There is no published rate or population-level estimate in the 2025 review. One documented feeding event cannot show whether centipedes are an important source of bat mortality. It also cannot tell us whether the event was exceptional, locally common or representative of a wider pattern.
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To answer that ecological question, researchers would need repeated observations or other quantitative methods that estimate encounter rates, identify prey selection and measure consequences for both predators and bats. The review specifically identifies those needs. Until such studies are available, the defensible conclusion is limited but clear: centipede predation on bats occurs, while its frequency and ecological importance remain unknown.
A practical checklist for evaluating a viral centipede-and-bat claim
- Check the identification. Look for a scientific name and ask whether it is a species-level identification or only a genus designation such as Rhysida sp.
- Separate predator size from prey size. In the Indian case, the only stated measurement—approximately 6 cm—refers to the bat.
- Identify the setting. A bat consumed in a tree hollow is not evidence of an aerial capture; a cave report is not automatically interchangeable with a tree-hollow observation.
- Ask whether the account is direct. The West Bengal event was directly observed and documented with photographs and video. Other records may be historical reports summarized by the review.
- Look for frequency data. A case report establishes possibility, not routine behavior or a population trend.
- Keep the geographic scope precise. “First confirmed in Asia” does not mean “first anywhere”; the same review discusses earlier American cases.
Bottom line on foot-long centipedes and bats
Yes, a centipede can eat a bat, and published records document that behavior. The clearest recent Asian example is a Rhysida centipede feeding on an approximately 6-centimetre Pipistrellus bat in a sacred fig-tree hollow in West Bengal at 20:30 on 19 June 2024. Earlier reports involve Scolopendra gigantea in Venezuelan caves.
What the evidence does not show is that the Indian centipede was foot long, that it caught the bat in flight, or that centipedes routinely hunt bats. Those stronger claims require measurements and repeated ecological observations that are not yet available.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can centipedes really eat bats?
Yes. Published observations document centipedes feeding on bats, including Scolopendra gigantea in Venezuelan caves and a Rhysida centipede in West Bengal, India.
Was the Indian centipede actually a foot long?
The 2025 case report does not give the centipede’s length. Its approximately 6-centimetre measurement refers to the bat.
Did the Indian centipede catch a bat in flight?
That was not shown. Researchers observed feeding inside a fig-tree hollow, but the report does not describe the capture method or an aerial attack.
Was the animal Scolopendra gigantea or Scolopendra dehaani?
No. The Indian predator was identified only as Rhysida sp. The Venezuelan cave records involve Scolopendra gigantea; those identifications should not be merged.
Do centipedes regularly hunt bats or control bat populations?
There is no frequency or population-impact estimate. The authors call for quantitative studies of predation rates, prey selection and ecological consequences.
The Bottom Line
Centipedes have been documented eating bats, but the evidence consists of specific observations, not proof of routine bat hunting. The 2024 Indian case involved a Rhysida feeding on a small Pipistrellus in a fig-tree hollow; the centipede’s length and any population effect remain unknown.
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