MILLIPEDES – DIPLOPODA

The name millipede means thousand feet, millipedes do not have a thousand feet but they can have over 200 legs. Millipedes have segmented bodies and apart from the head and final segments most of the body segments are virtually identical in appearance. Millipedes and centipedes can be distinguished from one another by examining the number of pairs of legs attached to each body segment. Centipedes have one pair of legs per body segment and millipedes have two.

Growing up I was always repulsed and genuinely afraid of small “bugs” with a lot of legs. They were “tiny monsters” that I thought needed to be annihilated for our safety. I was wrong. I knew only what I was told. Then later on in life with a macro lens and a curious mind, I discovered a new universe right under my feet.

 

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