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Millipede

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The millipede is a medium to large sized invertebrate that is found under rocks and in decaying logs all around the world. The millipede has a long and narrow body which is made up of segments.

The millipede is from the same family as the centipede, but the millipede generally has more legs for it's body length than the centipede. The average millipede has between 80 and 400 legs, not a thousand as the name suggests.

The millipede is found all over the world but is more common in the southern hemisphere where the millipede has been known to get to nearly 40cm long. Some species of millipede have a poisonous bite which they use to kill their prey before eating it.

Millipedes are most commonly found in the cooler, damper and darker places within their environment. Millipedes inhabit areas under rocks, in the leaf litter, in rotting logs and occasionally in burrows which are all known as micro-habitats.

The exact number of legs and segments that make up the body of the millipede, depend on the millipede species. However, all millipedes are made up in a similar way with the first sections of the millipede's body having one pair of legs and the later sections of two pairs of legs. The legs of millipede all work together and move in a wave-like motion.

The millipede is an omnivorous animal but primarily feeds on dead plant material and decaying matter on the forest floor. Millipedes are also known to eat some species of plants (that are alive0) and the larger species of millipede also hunt insects.

The millipede has a number of different predators in it's natural environment including birds, badgers, foxes and small rodents such as shrews and rats. When the millipede feels that it is in danger it curls up into a spiral and some species of millipede even release a disgusting smelling liquid that deters many of the animals that prey on the millipede.

The female millipede can lay up to 1,000 sticky eggs at once although the number of millipede eggs laid is usually closer to 500. When the baby millipedes hatch they only have 3 pairs of legs but they shed their skin as they grow. Each time the baby millipedes shed their skin they develop more body segments and legs.

Millipede Comments (3)

Renaldo

"wow you have a complete information..... but do u know how many body section or segment of milipedes ? maybe u can add some.."

katie sahm

"i think millipedes are ugly but they are awsome arthropods"

bob

"I love millipedes i have pill millipedes in my backyard ."

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Millipede Facts

Kingdom: A level of classifying all living things on earth, as similar species are broken into 5 groups including plants, animals and fungi....	Animalia
Phylum: A level of classifying animals within the animal kingdom. Phylum are further divided into subgroups called classes....	Arthropoda
Class: A level of classifying animals in a phylum. Classes are then sub-divided into further groups known as orders....	Myriapoda
Order: A level used to classify animals. Classes are broken into sub-groups known as order, which are broken down further into families....	Diplopoda

Common Name:	Millipede
Scientific Name:	Diplopoda
Found:	Worldwide
Diet:	Omnivore
Size:	1.5-38cm (0.5-15in)
Number of Species:	10,000
Average Lifespan:	7 years
Conservation Status: The conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species remaining extant either in the present day or the near future. Many factors are taken into account when assessing the conservation s...	Least Concern

Colour:	Red, Black, Yellow, Orange, Brown
Skin Type:	Shell
Favourite Food:	Decaying plant material
Habitat: The term habitat is used to describe a specific area where a particular animal lives, within an environment. Many animals have adapted to requiring specific conditions which can only be found in their natural habitat su...	Moist micro-habitats
Average Litter Size:	500
Main Prey: When an animal is referred to prey, it means that the animal is either hunted or caught for food. Animals that are referred to as prey are generally hunted by bigger animals, although there are a number of exceptions....	Decaying plant material, Plants, Insects
Predators: When an animal is referred to as a predator, it means that the animal either hunts or catches other animals. Predatory animals are generally dominant within their environment and will generally hunt animals smaller than...	Birds, Badgers, Rodents
Special Features:	Segmented body and many legs