Millipedes

All 4 species of millipedes on WAnimals

Each one has its own full profile. This group does not replace them: it brings them together.

Conservation status

Where they live

Recorded in 91 countries. The ones with the most species in the group:

Where to see them

Did you know…?

• Despite the name, it never reaches a thousand legs: an individual with 52 segments has 194.

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• With so many legs it needs fine coordination not to trip itself up: it moves them in a wave, so that only one foot in eight is touching the ground at any moment.

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• Unlike centipedes, it is entirely harmless: a herbivore and decomposer, it works organic matter into the soil and is worth encouraging rather than killing.

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• It neither bites nor stings: its only defence is to coil into a spiral and secrete an irritant fluid that can stain the skin and sting the eyes.

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• It carries commensal mites on its body that feed on debris and secretions and travel with it without doing it any harm.

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• It is an important decomposer in African soils: by shredding the leaf litter it greatly speeds up the recycling of nutrients.

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• It is constantly mistaken for the common pill woodlouse, which is a crustacean: the pill millipede has two pairs of legs per segment and fewer dorsal plates, and its ball is smoother and glossier.

Ecosystems