Millipedes are ancient creatures. Their ancestors were among the very first animals to have crawled from the prehistoric seas to live permanently on land some 420 million years ago, long before the dinosaurs even evolved. Millipedes are ancient creatures. Their ancestors were among the very first animals to have crawled from the prehistoric seas to live permanently on land some 420 million years ago, long before the dinosaurs even evolved.
Of the 12,000 species of millipedes known from across the world today, at least 1,000 species qualify as being classified as “giants”, being greater than 5 cm in length.
While the word millipede means “thousand feet”, most giant millipedes actually have around 200 legs, with the record being about 400.
All millipedes are herbivores. Many species can secrete foul-smelling or irritant liquids, but are otherwise harmless to humans. These gentle giants all have two pairs of legs per body segment and they walk by moving their legs in synchronised “Mexican wave” motions that ripple along their body length.
The very biggest giant millipedes can grow up to 38.5 cm long, and some have brightly coloured body segments of alternating stripes of black, red, yellow, grey or brown. ill make all the difference.
Giant Millipedes make fascinating pets. Watch the video below and take a look at the downloadable caresheet for further details!
Download the Caresheet
The following are strongly recommended as ethical suppliers of livestock based in the UK with fantastic ranges of weird and wonderful pets:
Martin French
BugzUK
Graham Smith
Metamorphosis
Peregrine Livefoods
Reptiles Plus
Stratford-upon-Avon Butterfly Farm
ALSO CONSIDER JOINING THE FOLLOWING SOCIETIES:
The Amateur Entomologists’ Society and The Bug Club
The Royal Entomological Society
Know any other suppliers or societies that we should include here? Please contact the Weird and Wonderful Pets team by emailing sales@redfernnaturalhistory.com
Download the Caresheet
