Millipedes are associated with the phylum ‘arthropod’ family and ‘myriapoda’ class.  They are sub classed under ‘diplopoda’ part of soil animals. They have essentially two body segments which are fused or joined together. And that’s the reason they have two pair of legs on each body segment. The Millipedes do not literally have 1000 legs, but they do have it in abundant quantity, some species of Millipedes have more than 700 legs, although the local adult Millipedes will perhaps have 200 to 300 legs. They live in soil and in some bionetwork systems. They are more significant than worms as they cause the soil to turn by eating the mud as they tunnel through it. They process the soil by feeding on organic waste and humus.
There are different species of Millipedes, and they eat mainly rotten vegetables and fruits. Some also eat decayed and leaves that fall from the trees. They also feed on overripe fruits like tomatoes, banana, melons, pumpkins and leafy ones like lettuce and spinach.
Breeding comes naturally to them, if they are a happy adult species! Their genetic organ is on their third body segment. Millipede mating involves the males walking alongside the females and exciting them with the somewhat musical movements of their legs. Females mate many times but it can prove fatal for them where they can even be killed by larger males. The females lay their eggs below the soil and stand guarding them until they hatch out. Baby Millipedes are born with no legs at all in the first segment of their body, and the other three segments have only one pair of legs each. But as they grow and ‘moult’ i.e. shed their outer skin they keep adding more segments to their bodies. Each of these segments has additional two pairs of legs. For this purpose, the millipedes burrow underneath the soil and make a unique little compartment. Millipedes grow very slowly and the biggest species can take ten years or more to reach maturity.
 By nature, millipedes are exceptionally docile and willingly managed unlike most other species. Millipedes can be found in a majority of countries all over the world; even in the chilly climate of the UK, a couple of species are found. These do not grow as big as their African counterparts, attaining a full size of about 2 inches, but fundamental nature and habitats are the same. Millipedes can also live in hot desert climates, whereas none have been found in the intense cold regions like the Arctic Circle and Greenland. Found in natural terrains, in fresh water, and in saline water, this is the solitary invertebrate group with combined appendages i.e. the legs, feet, and antennae. Both centipedes and millipedes have lengthy slim bodies made up of a series of segments. Millipedes—the name literally means ‘thousand-footed’.
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There are about 2,800 species of centipedes and around 10,000 species of millipedes. The millipedes are slow movers, comparatively smaller and less formidable than the centipedes. When they are attacked, these arthropod species roll up like a ball and trust their thick exoskeletons for sheltering them from any harm. Some emit gas or toxic liquid to protect themselves from enemies. |
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