Firstly, I thought I got a better photo of this shiny, armored creature as it moved across my path. Nevertheless, I wanted to write about it hoping its amazingness would overcome the photo until I can take better one.
The yellow-spotted millipede, Harpaphe haydeniana, is also known as the almond-scented millipede or the cyanide millipede. It is an aposematic species — the black body with bold yellow spots signals predators of its potentially harmful toxicity. When they feel threatened they will curl up into a spiral and secrete hydrogen cyanide which has the scent of toasted almonds. This is toxic to small predators, but is not dangerous to humans as the amount of cyanide is small.
They are detritivores which means they feed on the dead leaves and wood of the forest floor. I read that they eat 33 to 50 percent of all coniferous and deciduous leaf litter. As they chew, digest and excrete the leaf litter it makes valuable nutrients available to other organisms in the ecosystem.
I am looking forward to researching more about the life of this incredible organism and its importance to the health and well-being of our forests.
