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16 orders, c. 12,000 species. Millipedes (originating from the Latin mille, "thousand", and pes, "foot") [1] [2] are a group of arthropods that are characterised by having two pairs of jointed legs on most body segments; they are known scientifically as the class Diplopoda, the name derived from this feature.
- Millipede Characteristics
- Millipede Diet
- Millipede Behaviour and Defence
- Millipede Reproduction
- Millipede History
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Millipedes are Myriapods, which means they have long segmented bodies, short heads and many pairs of legs, their numerous legs being their most obvious feature. The name Millipede derives from Latin roots, ‘milli’ meaning ‘thousand’ and ‘ped’ meaning foot. However, despite their name, these creatures do not have thousands of legs. Some rare species...
Millipedes are detritivores (animals that consume decomposing organic material and in doing so contribute to decomposition and the recycling of nutrients). Most millipedes eat decaying leaves and other dead plant matter, moisturising the food with secretions and then scraping it in with the jaws. A few species are known to feed on animal remains or...
Having very many short legs makes millipedes rather slow, but they are powerful burrowers. With their legs and body length moving in a wavelike pattern, they easily force their way underground head first. They are able to reinforce their tunnels by rearranging the particles around it. Millipedes have a hard exoskeleton helps to protect them against...
Males and females usually have to mate to produce offspring, with males usually depositing sperm directly into the reproductive organs of the female. There may or may not be any courtship behaviour. Bristly millipede males must first spin a web on which they deposit their sperm. The female then approaches the web and puts the sperm into her own rep...
This class of arthropods is thought to be among the first animals to have colonised land during the Silurian geologic period (443 million years ago). These early forms probably ate mosses and primitive vascular plants. The oldest known land creature, Pneumodesmus newmani, was a 1 centimetre long millipede.
Learn about millipedes, arthropods with long segmented bodies and many pairs of legs. Find out their characteristics, diet, behaviour, reproduction and distribution.
Sep 4, 2023 · Learn everything you need to know about millipedes, from their distinctive features and diversity to their ecological and cultural significance. Discover how millipedes feed, breathe, adapt, and interact with humans and other animals.
Jun 20, 2024 · Millipede is a class of arthropods with two pairs of legs on each segment, except for the first three. Learn about their distribution, diet, defense, and diversity, including the giant African millipede and the extinct Arthropleura.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Millipedes Do Not Have 1,000 Legs. The term millipede comes from two Latin words - mil, meaning thousand and ped meaning feet. Some people refer to these critters as "thousand leggers."
- Millipedes Have 2 Pairs of Legs Per Body Segment. This trait, and not the total number of legs, is what separates the millipedes from the centipedes. Turn a millipede over, and you'll notice that almost all its body segments have two pairs of legs each.
- Millipedes Only Have 3 Pairs of Legs When They Hatch. Millipedes undergo a process called anamorphic development. Each time a millipede molts, it adds more body segments and legs.
- Millipedes Coil Their Bodies Into a Spiral When Threatened. A millipede's back is covered by hardened plates called tergites, but its underside is soft and vulnerable.
May 27, 2024 · Learn about the millipede, an arthropod with 100 legs or less that belongs to the class Diplopoda. Find out how to distinguish it from the centipede, what it eats, where it lives, and which species are poisonous.
There are 7,000 species of millipede in the world, and 1,400 of these occur in the United States and Canada. The smaller ones are less than an inch (2.5 centimeters) in length, but the common spirobolid millipede can grow to more than five inches (13 centimeters).
