American giant millipede
The American giant millipede is a long, round millipede that can grow to about 10 centimetres long. It shuffles slowly through the forest on many tiny legs. When it is scared, it curls up into a tight spiral.
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Fun facts
It can live for up to 11 years.
The mother lays just one egg in a little nest of chewed leaves and wraps her body around it until it hatches.
It digs burrows by picking up bits of soil with its mouth and passing them backwards with its legs.
It needs damp places. If it gets too dry, it curls up to stop losing water.
Its liquid can turn your skin a funny colour for a while, but this does no harm.
Most asked questions about American giant millipede
?Is the American giant millipede poisonous?
It is not dangerous, but it can ooze a smelly liquid that may irritate your skin or eyes. Wash your hands after touching it.
?How big does the American giant millipede get?
It can grow up to about 10 centimetres long.
?What does the American giant millipede eat?
Mostly rotting wood and dead leaves. It also likes fruit.
Myth buster
Myth: The American giant millipede gives off cyanide.
Truth: People have said so, but there is no proof. Its liquid is a different kind that can irritate skin, but it does not make cyanide.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Narceus americanus
- Group
- Centipedes and millipedes
- Family
- Spirobolidae
- Classification
- Diplopoda > Spirobolida > Spirobolidae
- Lives on
- North America
- Also known as
- Worm millipede, Iron worm
Where the facts come from
- Narceus americanus (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by TheAlphaWolf. CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons. The round sticker of this bug is cut from the same picture.
If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
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