prey, this centipede grabs prey with its anterior legs, and typically envenomates prey by stabbing it using its forcipules. Little quantitative ecological and behavioural work was done for centipedes. Some studies, however, have found that centipedes are highly selective and tend to strike at the head or thorax instead of the abdomen. If the bite was made on the abdomen, the centipede would usually reposition the prey and strike again on the head or thorax. Venom availability has a significant effect on predatory response. Returning to their normal attack rate after venom extraction takes more time when facing larger prey. Research on these behaviours has suggested that the reason for centipedes to reposition their prey is to enhance the speed where neurotoxins in the venom arrive at the thoracic ganglia, where it controls limb movement or the brain. This explanation was based on the position of such ganglia locating on the abdominal side (i.e. ventral) side of the thorax, and the assumption that injecting venom in the prey's abdomen leads to venom dilution due to the mixing of fluids in the circulatory system and the guts; the distance where the venom has to travel to be effective also increases, making it less efficient in disabling the prey. Two other concepts have been suggested to explain the reason for prey orientation - one suggested that venom is an expensive product to produce, hence venom conservation is essential; and the other concept suggested that striking the prey in that specific position (i.e. aligning the prey as the same orientation of the centipede) would allow the centipede to sufficiently restraint the prey until the venom takes effect. Defensive behaviours Behavioural studies found that when the centipedes are attacked near their heads, they would counterattack with their forcipules; when being attacked at the rear, they would adopt a warning position, where the last pair of legs (at the rear) would raise to display the prefemoral spines (i.e. prefemoral spines are short, spiky structures on the ultimate legs of centipedes; the spines are usually on the leg segment that is closest to the body). Centipedes occasionally attacked using the claws of their ultimate legs by a chopping motion following the warning position. When attacked in the midsection, the centipede curls sideways to reach the attacker with both its forcipules and ultimate legs at the same time. Apart from establishing a warning position and stabbing for