The word "millipede" means "a thousand feet,” but the name is a bit of an exaggeration.
Its genus, Eumillipes, is derived from the Latin words for 'true', 'thousand' and 'foot', recognising it as the first, and so far only, millipede to have more than 1,000 legs.
Australia currently has 128 species of centipede out of a worldwide fauna of between 2,500 and 3,000 species. The Australian species range from around 10 mm in length up to 140mm for our largest, the Giant Centipede (Ethmostigmus rubripes).
Most species of millipedes have around 300 legs. The number of legs a millipede will have varies and is dependent on the species. Millipedes have four pairs of legs per segment, and the number of segments per species is around 25 to 100. Most species of millipede will have 300 legs, sometimes a bit more.
The thousand-legger does have venom which it uses to stun its prey, but bites to humans are rare. If it does bite a human, it is not harmful and will cause a small amount of localized pain and a little swelling at the site.
Generally speaking, centipedes are not harmful to human health. They feed off far nastier bugs such as termites and cockroaches. In a sense, they are the “good guys”. Of course, centipedes are not a natural solution for maintaining pests.
Are Centipedes Dangerous to Humans? Biting centipedes use venom inject their prey with toxins. These chemicals harm small insects but pose no serious threat to humans. The worst side effects from centipede bites are usually mild pain and swelling.
In addition, each diplosomite (except for the first four) contains two pairs of internal organs (i.e., two pairs of ganglia and two pairs of heart arteries). The head contains antennae, simple eyes (ocelli), and only a single maxilla.
Millipedes are not poisonous, but many species have glands capable of producing irritating fluids that may cause allergic reactions in some individuals. The defensive sprays of some millipedes contain hydrochloric acid that can chemically burn the skin and cause long-term skin discoloration.
Danger to humans
A Giant Centipede may bite if disturbed or handled, the bite may cause severe pain that could persist for several days, however no deaths have been recorded from the bite of any Australian centipede. Pain can be relieved somewhat by the application of icepacks.
Ethmostigmus rubripes, the giant centipede, is the largest Australian centipede. It has three subspecies, with substantial variation within each.
Some spiders, beetles and scorpions will eat millipedes, but these predators do not significantly reduce millipede numbers. They are also parasitised by a nematode and a European fly. Work was under way to establish this fly in South Australia, but the flies were released and never seen again.
Snakes are reptiles with no legs. They move by using their muscles to push their scales against the ground or other objects.
A new species of shark, called Apristurus ovicorrugatus. The discovery process began several years ago, when researchers were going through uncataloged materials in the Australian National Fish Collection, housed in Hobart, where they found a mysterious egg that they were unable to assign.
The giant African millipede is the largest of the world's 10,000 species of millipedes. Of the world's millipedes, leg counts range from 36 to 400.
Thousands of migratory millipedes can create a mess. Once they die, expect a smell that can last for several weeks.
Millipedes are a species-rich and ancient arthropod clade which typically bear a pair of lateral compound eyes with a small number of large facets.
What you do notice about millipedes is their size (1 to 1/14 inch) their color (very dark brown), their shiny, hard shell (crunchy), their long, cylindrical shape and their habit of curling into a coil when disturbed, handled or when they are dead. Millipedes are harmless.
Moving using only one leg is known as unipedal movement. Many bivalvia and nearly all gastropoda molluscs have evolved only one foot. Through accidents (i.e. amputation) or birth abnormalities it is also possible for an animal, including humans, to end up with only a single leg.
Illacme plenipes is a siphonorhinid millipede found in the central region of the U.S. state of California. It has up to 750 legs. One of two known species in the genus Illacme, it was first seen in 1926, but was not rediscovered until 2005, almost 80 years after its discovery, by Paul Marek, then a Ph.
Fun Facts. The sperm whale has the biggest brain of any animal species, weighing up to 20 pounds (7 to 9 kilograms).
House centipedes are poisonous but not deadly; if they bite they leave a mark like a sting from a bee or a mosquito. The easiest way to kill a centipede is to squish it. Whether you step on it or use an object to smash the centipede, this will kill them.
Centipedes should not be handled since they may bite. Small children and those with known allergies should be observed carefully after a centipede bite. If medical concerns occur, a medical professional should be contacted immediately.
Millipedes do not bite but may secrete a toxin that is irritating, causing burning and itching of the skin and, particularly when accidentally rubbed into the eye, causing redness, swelling, and pain of the conjunctiva or the cornea.