African Giant Millipede (Archispirostreptus gigas)
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They act as natural composters since they eat decomposing plant matter and then poop excrement that is rich in nutrients to help replenish the forest soil.
African Giant Millipedes are nocturnal and terrestrial, living on or burrowing into the ground. They spend much of their time buried under leaf litter or in loose soil. |
DESCRIPTION: The African Giant Millipede is one of the largest millipedes in the world. They can grow up to 15 inches long but the typical length is between 8 and 12 inches.
They have a rounded dark brown or black exoskeleton. As adults they have 30 to 40 body segments. Their total number of legs varies between molts as they grow extra segments during each molt.
Millipedes have four legs per body segment. They have two antennae, and two simple eyes but their eyesight is poor and they rely on their antenna to navigate. They can smell and taste with most of their body.
They move slowly with their legs making a wavelike motion. Their large numbers of legs are not used to gain speed but instead to allow them to dig in to the soil.
Giant African millipedes have to defend themselves against many predators. Birds, small mammals, frogs, and various reptiles can prey upon millipedes. With those things in mind, giant African millipedes have a few defense mechanisms to help protect them from becoming someone else’s tasty snack. First, the millipede can curl into a tightly coiled ball. Its exoskeleton is made up of calcareous dorsal plates that act as body armor, and when paired with the “duck and cover” coiled method, it can help protect the millipede from being picked up and carried away. Second, the millipede secretes a fluid (called repungnatorial fluid) from each body segment that smells and tastes foul to potential predators. This concoction deters the predators and causes them to think twice about eating a millipede for a meal.
RANGE: They can be found in the wild in subtropical Western Africa.
HABITAT: They live on forest floors in warm, dark places such as in burrows made in rotting wood.
DIET: Detritivore – herbivore that eats rotting plant material on the forest floor. They also chew on rocks to obtain nutrients such as calcium for maintaining their exoskeleton.
FAMILY LIFE: Females lay hundreds of fertilized eggs in hollow nests they burrow under the surface of the soil. The eggs are protected by a tough outer layer and will hatch in three months.
Neonates are white and only have a few body segments. They will undergo 7 to 10 molts until they reach their adult size. Their first molt occurs 12 hours after hatching. There is no parental care provided.
LIFE SPAN: 5 to 7 years in the wild; 10 years in Human Care
STATUS: Not Listed
They have a rounded dark brown or black exoskeleton. As adults they have 30 to 40 body segments. Their total number of legs varies between molts as they grow extra segments during each molt.
Millipedes have four legs per body segment. They have two antennae, and two simple eyes but their eyesight is poor and they rely on their antenna to navigate. They can smell and taste with most of their body.
They move slowly with their legs making a wavelike motion. Their large numbers of legs are not used to gain speed but instead to allow them to dig in to the soil.
Giant African millipedes have to defend themselves against many predators. Birds, small mammals, frogs, and various reptiles can prey upon millipedes. With those things in mind, giant African millipedes have a few defense mechanisms to help protect them from becoming someone else’s tasty snack. First, the millipede can curl into a tightly coiled ball. Its exoskeleton is made up of calcareous dorsal plates that act as body armor, and when paired with the “duck and cover” coiled method, it can help protect the millipede from being picked up and carried away. Second, the millipede secretes a fluid (called repungnatorial fluid) from each body segment that smells and tastes foul to potential predators. This concoction deters the predators and causes them to think twice about eating a millipede for a meal.
RANGE: They can be found in the wild in subtropical Western Africa.
HABITAT: They live on forest floors in warm, dark places such as in burrows made in rotting wood.
DIET: Detritivore – herbivore that eats rotting plant material on the forest floor. They also chew on rocks to obtain nutrients such as calcium for maintaining their exoskeleton.
FAMILY LIFE: Females lay hundreds of fertilized eggs in hollow nests they burrow under the surface of the soil. The eggs are protected by a tough outer layer and will hatch in three months.
Neonates are white and only have a few body segments. They will undergo 7 to 10 molts until they reach their adult size. Their first molt occurs 12 hours after hatching. There is no parental care provided.
LIFE SPAN: 5 to 7 years in the wild; 10 years in Human Care
STATUS: Not Listed
