Many-legged leaf eaters that live a secretive life hidden among the forest floor.
Common name: flat-backed millipede
Scientific name: Polydesmus angustus
Family: Polydesmidae
Habitat: woodland, moorland, parks and gardens, farmland, grassland
Predators: birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians
Origin: native
This species has a long, flat, segmented body with a large number of legs. It is orangey-brown in colour and measures around 2cm in length.
The UK is home to numerous millipede species which are difficult to tell apart. However, you can distinguish between millipedes and centipedes by looking at the legs. Millipedes have two pairs of legs per body segment, compared to just one for centipedes.
Credit: PREMA PHOTOS / naturepl.com
Most millipedes are herbivores, eating decaying vegetation that has fallen to the ground. This species uses its flat body shape to move around the soil and leaf litter in search of food.
When threatened millipedes may roll into a protective ball. Some species can even release a foul-smelling secretion to put off predators.
After mating, the female lays her eggs buried in soil. The young will hatch with only a few pairs of legs, steadily growing more as they develop.
Credit: Papilio / Alamy Stock Photo
This is a common species that can be found in a variety of habitats across the UK. It spends most of its time buried in soil or underneath leaf litter.
Millipedes are secretive creatures that spend most of their life out of sight. Your best chance of seeing one is to lift up a rock or fallen log and see if one these many-legged minibeasts is hiding underneath.
Despite their name millipedes do not have 1,000 legs. Depending on species the number of legs ranges from 40 to 400 pairs.
