Millipedes are myriapods that have two pairs of legs on most body segments. Each double-legged segment is a result of two single segments fused together as one. Most millipedes have very elongated cylindrical bodies, although some are flattened dorso-ventrally, while pill millipedes are shorter and can roll into a ball, like a pillbug. The name "millipede" is a compound word formed from the Latin roots mille ("thousand") and pes ("foot"). Despite their name, no known millipede has 1,000 legs, although the rare species Illacme plenipes has up to 750. Common species have between 36 and 400 legs. The class contains over 12,000 named species in 16 orders and 147 families. The giant African millipede (Archispirostreptus gigas), is the largest species of millipede.
Millipede
Millipede
Millipede
Millipedes