Click to Enlarge Millipedes rely on leg-power to push themselves into the soil or to burrow into leaf litter. How many legs? For most millipedes, multiply the number of body segments by four and subtract 10 to find the answer.   Millipede Action by Cindy Letchworth, photos by Jim Rathert Quick — What's that worm with a thousand legs? Well, maybe it doesn’t have a thousand legs, but it has a lot of legs. And it’s not a worm, either. It’s a millipede. Millipedes are round-bodied invertebrates that belong to a group of animals called arthropods. Arthropods have jointed legs, and millipedes usually have more than 15 pairs of them. Their body length ranges from less than an inch to more than 4 inches. Their bodies have many segments, and each segment holds two pairs of legs. Millipedes like damp and dark places and seem to enjoy the taste of decaying leaf and plant material. Millipedes are great helpers in breaking down rotting vegetation. They mostly eat soil fungi and bacteria. As they consume the plants, they in turn help to fertilize the ground. This makes them very beneficial for the environment. If you find a millipede under dead leaves or a fallen log, it may become worried about your presence. You will know it is worried if it curls up its body and begins to look like a flat circular pinwheel. One of the biggest millipedes in the world can be found at the St. Louis Zoo. It is called the African giant millipede. “African giants can be a foot long and as big around as a cigar,” says Natural History Biologist Michael Arduser. “When they curl up, only one of them will fit in your hand.” Once a millipede curls up, it can stay motionless in that position for a long time. Large numbers of millipedes migrate to different areas during the spring and fall when temperatures get either too hot or too cold or the moisture levels are too dry or wet. You have a good chance of seeing them during a migration if you live in the Missouri Ozarks. The brown millipede is a common species in that region and they are only about 1 inch long. They have a dark brown body with light brown lengthwise stripes. To find the eggs of millipedes look underneath old plant debris. In spring, the female lays 10 to 300 eggs either in or on the soil. “Some millipedes make nests of sorts in which to deposit their eggs,” says Arduser.“Some stay with the eggs until the young emerge.” Once born, the babies, or larvae, go through several stages of development. During each stage they molt their old skin and grow more body segments and leg pairs. After two years, most millipedes have completed their development and will go on to live several more years. Millipedes can also live in caves. “In Missouri caves we have 25 or 30 species of millipedes,” says Bill Elliott, the Conservation Department’s cave biologist.“Four species are adapted only to caves.” Of those four species, two are limited to a single cave only. Some of the smallest millipedes are found in caves and look like pieces of wire. Some people like to keep millipedes as pets. The creature’s needs are simple. First provide them with a glass aquarium that is 18 to 24 inches long. Fill it with 4 inches of potting soil. Millipedes like dampness so you must keep the soil moist at all times. Mist the tank regularly by using a plant sprayer. Add a piece of wood for the millipede to hide under and make sure it has a shallow dish for water. Make sure you clean the aquarium weekly by wiping the sides of it with a paper towel and water. Millipedes will eat various vegetables such as leaf lettuce, zucchinis and apples. Cut the food into small pieces so it’s easier for them to consume. Be careful handling millipedes. While they do not have a stinging bite, they can produce a nasty, strongsmelling fluid. Should you get some of their foul fluid onto your hands, keep your fingers away from your eyes, and wash your hands well with soap and water. Millipedes are interesting creatures that help nature stay in balance. They are docile and like to hide in dark places. See whether you can find one under big rocks or leaf piles. Keep your eyes and ears open while you’re walking in the woods. Sometimes you can hear a millipede as it’s walking over dry leaves. If you see one, watch how it quickly moves its tiny legs across the terrain. Even though it doesn’t have 1000 legs, it still has many legs with which to run. Words Worth Knowing Millipede combines the Latin word mille, which means thousand and pedis, the word for foot. An invertebrate is an animal that doesn’t have a backbone or spinal column. Arthropods are animals with external skeletons and segmented body parts. Animals molt when they shed old skin or covering, allowing new growth to form. You’ve probably seen shed snake skins.