Unraveling the Mystery: Top 6 Incredible Fun Facts About Millipedes You Never Knew

1. Most Legs Ever: 750

Millipedes might not have a leg to stand on when it comes to their name, but boy do they try to live up to it: The Illacme plenipes, found in California, boasts a whopping 750 legs – the most of any known creature, and yet still falling short of the 1,000 legs its name implies.
Source => a-z-animals.com

2. Slow Growing Teenagers

Talk about a slow crawl through adolescence: Millipedes can take up to 5 years to mature, experiencing 7-8 life cycle stages along the way, and continuing to live for several more years as adults!
Source => epa.gov

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=> Fun Facts about Bees

3. Gentle House Crashers

Millipedes: nature's version of the unexpected guest who crashes the party but doesn't make a mess – they can migrate into buildings and homes overnight, yet these leggy somnambulists do not damage structures or furnishings, nor do they bite or sting, proving themselves to be gentle interlopers in any ecosystem they find.
Source => hortnews.extension.iastate.edu

4. Self-biting Myth

If millipedes had their own "bite" club, they'd be the only ones that couldn't join: millipedes are incapable of biting themselves, and any appearance of such behavior is just them grooming by running their head along their body – so no self-munching for these leggy critters! Plus, they manage to keep their calcium needs in check without needing supplements, but a little cuttle bone or reptile calcium powder in their substrate doesn't hurt.
Source => arachnoboards.com

5. Millipede Love Songs

Millipedes: the Barry White of the bug world, whispering sultry love songs to their mates before getting down and dirty: These creatures, particularly the Giant pill-millipedes from South Africa, serenade their significant others by rubbing their body parts together—creating a special sound for courtship—before getting it on, all while being completely deaf to their own romantic tunes.
Source => pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

6. Millipede Survival Tales

Much like that one old-timer who brags about walking uphill both ways in the snow to school, millipedes also know a thing or two about living on the edge and enduring hardships: Some species can live up to a whopping 10 years in the lab, but enterprising outcasts who sneak into our dry, food-deprived homes will only survive a tragic 2-4 weeks.
Source => orkin.com