Millipedes are arthropods that spend their lives in moist soils and decaying matter. They are mostly decomposers of organic material although some articles on the internet mention that some scavenge dead animals and a few are predators. For this reason, they are important in helping break down matter so the nutrients can be recycled back into the ecosystem.
They have segmented bodies with 2 pairs of legs per body segment except for their first four and last. Millipede means a “thousand feet,” but most species have fewer than one hundred. Until recently, the greatest number of legs found on a millipede was 750. In 2020 scientists discovered a millipede deep in the soil in western Australia—Eumillipes persephone has 330 segments and 1306 legs!
If they feel threatened they will form a coil shape with their bodies using their exoskeleton to protect their softer underside. Also, they release a substance that can irritate the skin which is also foul-smelling and distasteful to predators.
Last fall they executed a controlled burn in the South Meadow at the arboretum to remove thick mats of grass and invasive plants. The intention was to open the landscape to native plants, such as tarweed, to sprout and grow. I was fascinated and heartbroken to find that the landscape contained many millipedes that unfortunately didn’t survive the fire.
They are beautiful, mostly hidden creatures I love finding and watching move across the ground. Thank you millipedes!
