The Giant Desert Centipede (Scolopendra heros) is a North American centipede that occupies the Southwestern United States and Northern Mexico. The species occupies rocky woodland areas, and it stays underground in warm weather, emerging in cloudy weather. With a number of color variations, the Giant Desert Centipede is aposematically colored to warn off potential predators. The castaneiceps variation in Arkansas, Missouri, and Texas has a red head and greenish black body and tail. As a nocturnal predator, the Giant Desert Centipede uses its venom to hunt small invertebrates, including rodents, reptiles, and amphibians.