They are fast, they are icky and yes, they are poisonous.

I grew up on the water so centipedes were common in our house, but I have NEVER gotten used to these creepy crawlies!

According to pestworld.com (yes that is a real web-site)...

House centipedes are easy to spot by their elongated, worm-like body with their many pairs of legs. They can actually have anywhere from 15-177 pairs of legs with one pair per segment, depending on the species. Interestingly, centipedes always have an odd number of pairs of legs.

Did anyone else get a little sick to their stomach with those facts...I did!

This is the kicker, centipedes are poisonous, not enough to kill you but...

If handled roughly, some larger species can inflict a painful bite that can break human skin and cause pain and swelling, similar to a bee sting.

I remember as a kid my Mom killed one with a shoe and as she went to get a paper towel to clean up the bug juice and smashed parts, another centipede crawled out of the shadows and snatched up the dead one. It is an image that to this day cases me nightmares.

Remember, if you see one move fast, and have a shoe ready to swing with!