Millipede
Fast facts
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
Scientific name
- Scientific name
- Diplopoda
How to say it in other languages
- Arabic
- دودة ألفية، ذات الألف رجل
- Dutch
- Miljoenpoot
- French
- Diplopodes
- German
- Doppelfüßler
- Korean
- 노래기강
- Portuguese
- Diplópodes
- Spanish
- Milpiés
Facts from Wikipedia’s “Millipede” page and Wikispecies (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Millipedes are a very long type of arthropod. Millipedes are segmented. Most have between 20 and over 100 segments, and have flattened bodies. Except for the first few segments, each segment has 2 pairs of legs, as a result of each segment being the fusing (coming together) of two.
So far, about 12,000 different species of millipedes have been described. with 10,000 identified, and there is an estimated 80,000 total species of millipede on Earth. The animals are detrivores, they eat what is left over from plants.
Most of the time, their food is decaying leaves and other dead plant matter. Millipedes are not poisonous, but many species have glands capable of producing irritating fluids that may cause allergic reactions in some individuals. This protects them from being constantly eaten because of their slow movement. Generally, they are not a pest, although young seedlings in greenhouses can be sometimes eaten by these creatures. Xenobolus carnifex is known for its common infestation of thatched roofs in India. Several species swarm houses and farms, causing damage.
Some millipedes have fangs that allow them to directly prey on plants.
The primary defense mechanism of millipedes is to roll up into a spiral-shaped circle, protecting their more delicate organs from being hurt by an armor-like skin. Millipedes can secrete liquids that can burn their predators for protection.
Bristly millipedes lack armor-like skin, and instead have bristles (small spiky hairs) that protect them from insects, like detaching a bristle when it goes through the body of an ant.
They can easily be told apart from centipedes because centipedes move faster, have only have one pair of legs per segment, and eat animals instead of just plants, although a very small amount of millipede species are omnivores, feeding on insects, earthworms, or snails.
Scientists who study millipedes are called diplopodologists, and the scientific study (like astronomy or biology) of millipedes is known as diplopodology.
A millipede species, Pneumodesmus newmani, was the first animal species to live constantly on land that lived 428 million years ago.
Habitat
Millipedes are the most common in temperate, wet deciduous forests, but are also often found in coniferous forests and high-altitude alpine environments, some species live in deserts, and even fewer in caves. Many live under stones, fallen leaves, and in woodpiles, plus other dark damp locations in forests.Millipedes: Diplopoda - Habitat
Some species of bristly millipedes have been known to live in the common small cracks of tree bark.
Millipedes and People
Millipedes, due to their herbivore (plant-eating) and, with some species, limited omnivore capabilities, do not bite humans, although some of the defensive liquids that they give out might cause minor irritation and burns on human skin. On the eyes, these can be much worse, and direct exposure can lead to serious medical issues.
They also appear in various folklore, remedies, and traditional usages around the world.
Written for younger readers
Millipede, in simpler words
This version comes from Wikijunior, a set of books written for children aged 8 to 11. It is shorter and uses plainer language than the article above.
From Wikijunior: Bugs
Have you ever been playing in a sandbox and seen a tiny critter with seemingly thousands of legs? Did it curl into a ball when you picked it up? You were holding a millipede. Millipedes are arthropods that have a large number of legs - two pairs of legs per segment. The name comes from the Latin roots milli (“thousand”) and ped (“foot”). Millipedes do not have a thousand legs, although common species have between 80 and 400 legs (two or four pairs of legs per segment). Millipedes range in length from around 1.25 centimeters to 16.5 centimeters. Millipedes have very many short legs, which makes them rather slow. Millipedes, however, are powerful diggers! With their legs, they burrow underground, head first. Millipedes have flat, lensed eyes on the side or front of their heads. From birth, they gradually grow and add more legs at two pairs per segment.
Most millipedes live underground. They have poor eyesight, because they don’t need to see in the dark.
There are millipedes all over the world. The largest species is giant African millipede (Archispirostreptus gigas). One species of millipede( Pneumodesmus newmani) was the first known land creature! It lived around 428 million years ago, that’s a long time!
Millipedes are scavengers, and eat mostly dead vegetation. Most millipedes eat decaying leaves and other dead plant matter. They will eat anything from rotting leaves to apples, to potatoes! When eating, a millipede will moisten the food with secretions, and then scraping it in with the jaws.
When a millipede is in danger, it curls into a tight coil — protecting its delicate legs inside its armoured body. The millipede lacks the ability to bite or sting, so this is it’s primary protection. Many species also put out poisonous liquid or gas through microscopic pores along the sides of their bodies. These poisons can burn ants and other insects that are attacking it. Any effects on humans are usually minor, but can cause skin irritation.
Most millipedes go through a simple stage of metamorphosis. During winter, adults keep safe and warm until spring. During spring, male and female millipedes become active and mate. Females will then lay eggs, covered in a sticky substance, in the soil. Larvae usually resemble small adults just days after hatching, and grow gradually in size. In other species, females do not lay eggs, but give birth to their young. Millipedes will take between 21 and 25 weeks to develop out of the basic stages, and grow for 2 to 5 years. After maturing, they will live for several more years.
The millipede burrows down into dirt in a wave-like pattern. It moves down a tunnel head first. While burrowing, millipedes seem to have the ability to restructure and secure the dirt around them. Millipedes also shed old exoskeletons as they grow larger.
Though it may seem small, the millipede is very important to the ecosystem! Since it is a scavenger, a millipede cleans up dead matter from the environment. The millipede is like a garbage man for the Earth! Occasionally, the millipede can be a pest as it eats plant stems or leaves. The creature may seem creepy with all those legs, but most won’t do any harm at all. Be careful though, all those legs may tickle your skin!
- Wikipedia Article
- Millipedes, Cockroaches, Beetles, and More
- Centipede, millipede
- Millipede and Centipede Management Guidelines
Where this page comes from
The article above is adapted from “Millipede” on Simple English Wikipedia, by its contributors. We removed reference markers, navigation boxes and tables, expanded measurement templates into readable numbers, and kept the prose otherwise intact. The simpler version is adapted from Wikijunior on Wikibooks.
Both sources are published under CC BY-SA 4.0, so this page is published under the same licence. You may share and adapt it, including commercially, as long as you credit the original and keep the same licence.
Worksheets, answer keys and printable layouts elsewhere on K5Print are our own work and are not covered by this licence.