Millipede starts chemical warfare

6 years ago
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Take a look at HD video of this Millipede. Footage was taking while camping "under the stars" at a New England state park. You can find these creatures all over the world and practically anywhere there are leaves. Although they look quite disturbing and even dangerous they are usually harmless to humans. They are not poisonous but some can produce a fluid that can be irritating and in rare cases cause allergic reactions to some. The defensive spray of these creatures even contain hydrochloric acid. Remember science class? The chemicals produced can burn or blister the skin. Between stink glands, that emit a foul odor and nasty tasting compound to repel predators, all this can be considered one of the first chemical warfare weapons. Be sure to wash your hands after handling! They are able to kill small pray but nothing as large as a person. They generally eat decaying leaves, dead plants, suck plant fluids and some eat fungi. I still wouldn't have wanted this to crawl over me while sleeping! Evidence suggests that they were the first to live on land and therefore amongst the oldest known land animals. They have been seen to grow as long as 11-15 inches. The one here was about 4 inches. Interestingly and contrary to popular belief, they do not have 1000 legs as the name "milli" implies. Actual record holder is 750 legs. There are 2 pairs of legs per body segment. When these arthropods hatch, they have only 3 pairs of legs and life span can be up to 7 years. And here is an interesting part. They have what are called "gonopods" or "sex legs" that aid in reproduction. They are also known to make good fish bait and even pets. Perhaps there is some experimentation to cross a millipede with a turkey?

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