The First True Millipede
What Is A Millipede?
A millipede is supposedly a creature with 1,000 feet or legs. Millepede means 1,000 feet because “Mille” means 1,000 and “pede” means foot. Millipedes have no eyes. Millipedes are born with 8 feet but can grow 1,000 feet overtime. When millipedes shed their skin, they get more body segments which leads them to growing more legs.
Why Are Millipedes At People’s Houses?
Millipedes are most active at night. During the night they wander out of their underground hiding spots and just roam around aimlessly. Millipedes are outdoor creatures, and outdoors is their natural habitat. If a millipede is in your house, it wandered there by accident. The millipede doesn’t want to be there any more than you want it to. They can also be driven into your house during excessive rain, a drought, or colder temperatures then they are used to. The reason that happens is because those conditions and changes in weather makes their outdoor habitat uncomfortable. During a drought they go inside to search for water and during excess rains and cooler temperatures they go inside in search of shelter.
When were the first millipedes discovered?
The first species of Millipedes were alive more than 400 million years ago! What’s interesting about them though, is the fact that they didn’t die out like dinosaurs. There is a type of millipede in California, but it only has 750 feet, and as said before millipede means 1,000 feet. Therefore, those californian species should be centipedes, but 750 is closer to 1,000. So there hasn’t been a true millipede yet, until…
First true millipede?
The first real millipede was discovered in Australia on December 16, 2021. This millipede has 1,300 feet! They named it Eumillipes Persephone or E. Persephone for short. Eumillipes means true millipede and Persephone for the Greek goddess of the underworld. The “underworld” part is because these creatures live 200 feet underground.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-02447-0
https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Invertebrates/Millipedes
https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/controlling-millipedes-in-and-around-homes
