[2][3] Scolopendra cataracta is a giant centipede, growing to around 200 mm (7.9 in) in length; it has long legs and a greenish-black colour.

[2] The species was discovered, and the first specimen collected, in 2000 near Thailand's Khao Sok National Park.

DNA analysis confirmed they belonged to S. cataracta; the new species was named for the Latin for waterfall.

[2] A further specimen was found in the Natural History Museum's collection, in the shape of a misidentified 1928 centipede from Vietnam.

[2] The ecological niche is conjectured to be based on going "into the water at night to hunt aquatic or amphibious invertebrates.