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Posted by on Jun 20, 2016 in TellMeWhy |

Do Millipedes Really Have Thousand Legs?

Do Millipedes Really Have Thousand Legs?

No, millipedes don’t have a thousand legs, even though they are called thousand – leggers. In fact, most millipedes usually have only between 60 and 120 legs.

Most millipedes resemble worms with an abundance of legs. They move very slowly despite their many legs. You can pick up a millipede and watch the waves of motion pass through its legs.

Millipedes live in damp, dark places, such as rotting logs, where they can find decaying matter – their favorite food. Millipedes can’t bite, and they usually curl into a tight, flat coil when disturbed.

Millipedes are generally harmless to humans, although some can become household or garden pests, especially in greenhouses where they can cause severe damage to emergent seedlings.

Most millipedes defend themselves with a variety of defensive chemicals secreted from pores along the body, although the tiny bristle millipedes are covered with tufts of detachable bristles.

Content for this question contributed by Jason Brown, resident of Los Gatos, Santa Clara County, California, USA