They're aggressive, swift in the attack, and deliver a potent, neurotoxic venom.

Mountain lions, raptors and rattlesnakes – West Texas doesn't lack for iconic predators. But centipedes may be the fiercest of the region's carnivores. They're the original survivors, members of an ancient lineage.

They possess only the rudiments of eyes, using antennae to seek out prey. They retreat beneath rocks and logs, in woodpiles. In centipedes, we seem to glimpse life's dim origins, the first instincts of pursuit and survival.

Our visceral response is well-founded. Centipedes were among the first creatures to colonize dry land, 430 million years ago. On solid ground, centipedes are the origina...