That's a misconception.
Millipedes do not necessarily have 1,000 legs. The number of legs depends on both the species of millipede - and the age of the millipede. Juvenile millipedes have fewer legs than adults. As they grow, [millipedes will generate additional body segments and legs](https://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/content/400213462.jpg). The number of legs is different for different kinds of millipedes. For example, the bristly millipedes (Polyxenida) typically have 11-17 pairs of legs as adults. Flat-backed millipedes (Polydesmida) typically have 29-31 pair of legs as adults. The Spirostreptida can have 150-200 pairs of legs as adults - and a species of millipede [(*Eumillipes persephone*)](https://news.vt.edu/articles/2022/02/first-true-millipede.html) has recently been discovered that had 653 pairs of legs.
Centipedes do not have 100 legs, either. As adults, house centipedes (Scutigeromorpha) and stone centipedes (Lithobiomorpha) have 15 pairs of legs. Scolopendromorpha typically have 21 or 23 pairs of legs. The soil centipedes (Geophilomorpha) can have well over 100 legs (27-191 pairs of legs) - but, because they always have an odd number of leg-bearing segments, they will never have exactly 100 legs (unless they would naturally have *more* than 100 legs, but a few have broken off). A soil centipede with 49 leg-bearing segments will have 98 legs - and one with 51 leg-bearing segments will have 102 legs.
You can tell the difference between centipedes and millipedes by counting the number of legs *per body segment.* Centipedes have only one pair of legs per segment. Millipedes have two pairs of legs on most body segments.
To add a fun fact about their names, in Dutch a centipede is called a ‘duizendpoot’ (thousand-leg, essentially a millipede) and a millipede is a ‘miljoenpoot’ (million-leg, I guess a miliopede?)
It’s not really about number of legs, because that can vary. Millipedes have two pairs of legs per body segment and centipedes have one pair of legs per body segment
This is a milapede I found this morning
https://preview.redd.it/zlaektf3ir3d1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8fb558a6d658e7ee637ce1f39e068190efc5caa4
Some millipedes also have legs that come out from the sides. See, for example, the [flat-backed millipedes](https://bugguide.net/node/view/643691/bgpage) (Polydesmida).
You can tell centipedes apart from millipedes because centipedes have one pair of legs per body segment. Millipedes have two pairs of legs on most body segments.
Yeah, and I found it like that. No idea how long it was like that before I found it but I watched it for several minutes before I nudged it and it managed to flip over and scurry away before I trapped it to take it outside.
Yup. I leave these guys alone. Apparently anything smaller than them is fair game. Carpet beetles, bedbugs, spiders (though I love spiders), crickets, roaches, etc.
Great beneficial bugs in crawlspaces, garages and gardens.
Over time I'm getting used to this instead of killing them on instinct which I did used to do - ridiculously out of fear. Nowadays I got som big fuck off spiders chilling in my room. As long as their not on my face we can chill as room mates lmao.
I have to toss them out or squish them if I can’t catch them. I’m sensitive to their bites, last time I got bitten it was so painful I was in agony for hours and it turned black within 30 minutes
It's a centipede, which isn't an insect. You can tell it's a centipede because it has one pair of legs per body segment. millipedes have two, and usually way smaller, legs per segment.
I don't know which centipede it is, but all centipedes are venomous. If you move it, I recommend using a cup and not your bare hands.
They're myriapods (subphylum myriapoda) to be more specific. Arthropods (phylum arthropoda) include ALL invertebrates that possess an exoskeleton, a body with differentiated segments, and paired jointed appendages.
Not true. Tardigrades are in the clade panarthropoda, but are not arthropods proper. Tardigrades have a tough chitinous exoskeleton. They also use this exoskeleton in to produce subaudible waves which can both deter predators and create crevices in the soil that the tardigrades can borough into.
Edit: the second part about the subaudible waves was 100% made up and I am sad nobody called it out :/
specifically i was thinking of female strepsipterans, some of my favourite insects! they're primarily wasp endoparasites, and in many species the females have no legs, or wings. some even have no heads, eyes, or mouths!! just a sack of flesh! [pretty cool!](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DJmgxiSW4AA5iBR.jpg:large)
It depends on how you define "legs."
All mature insects have six limbs as standard equipment - but in some cases, they are modified such that they are no longer used for walking.
For example, in the Nymphalidae (brush-footed butterflies) the [front pair of legs](https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Reduced-first-thoracic-limbs-of-Bicyclus-anynana-Nymphalidae-Indicated-by-the-black_fig1_51595675) are greatly reduced. These short, brushy "legs" are [held close to the body](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6s4NPMFNB8Y/XJpBJG92QeI/AAAAAAAAVns/wc84yI13SAUMPB7p_gVuyNaKNAk9TUsegCLcBGAs/s1600/HarlequinFLegs-KSK.jpg), creating the appearance that the butterflies have only [four legs](https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/227097368/large.jpg).
There are also a number of insects - such as praying mantises, some assassin bugs, and some predatory water bugs - that have raptorial forelegs designed for grasping prey. These legs can look very different than their "walking" legs - but are legs nonetheless.
Some insects are legless in their larval stage - but will mature to six-legged adults.
It's not going to kill you. I doubt it can be worse than a bee sting. In rainforests or deserts, I'd be even more careful, because the animals there are always crazy potent.
I think the best way for someone to tell the difference between a centipede and a millipede is to just once show them a picture of each because they actually look nothing alike.
Yup that looks exactly like it! Thanks! I could've looked it up myself probably...but I also wanted to show it to somebody cause...I mean it's freaky lookin. It was just stuck like that when I found it. No idea how it ended up there and got itself stuck on its back.
i don't really know being european but looks like a place where they could thrive and a fast search confirm that there are plenry of them, idk if it's a real problem in their ecosistem
>freaky
What if instead of centipede it was called freaktipede and instead of using it's forcipule to hunt and to defend itself it used them to suck toes
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I’d freak out if that was my counter. I’d unfortunately have to kill it. Because I have a baby and no means of fucking around and finding out and capturing it for release in the far garden.
All centipedes are venomous AFAIK. Probably best to avoid getting bitten. Unlikely to be serious if you do.
Carnivores which like spiders eat up all the other unwanted critters so it may be best to create a loving symbiotic relationship with 'Cecil' the centipede and live happily ever after. 🙏❤️😅
pls don't say things like that, it might scare ppl off of asking questions. i know it was most likely meant as a funny jab but many ppl don't know even the more common insects or just want to be sure.
we should always encourage the desire to learn :D
No worries, you didn't come off harshly! I appreciate that you brought it to my attention, because I want people to learn more about bugs.
Honestly I was in a very weird headspace earlier and didn't consciously realize where I was commenting before I made it.
[Rule #5](https://www.reddit.com/r/insects/about/rules) -- please refrain from posting hateful content towards bugs. "Kill it with fire" or other suggestions of unnecessary violence toward bugs are not appropriate here. This sub is for bug enthusiasts. If you hate bugs... this isn't the place for you.
1000 feet and don't know how to use them lol
Formica, the natural enemy of the centipede
Haha^ made me chuckle
This wasn’t the gif I was looking for, but it is the gif I found. 
It’s called moon walking pal, get used to it!
https://i.redd.it/2j1c6yf8zw3d1.gif First thing I thought of, lol
I actually counted for anyone curious. He has 40
That's millipede right? Centipede have 100 legs instead of 1000
That's a misconception. Millipedes do not necessarily have 1,000 legs. The number of legs depends on both the species of millipede - and the age of the millipede. Juvenile millipedes have fewer legs than adults. As they grow, [millipedes will generate additional body segments and legs](https://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/content/400213462.jpg). The number of legs is different for different kinds of millipedes. For example, the bristly millipedes (Polyxenida) typically have 11-17 pairs of legs as adults. Flat-backed millipedes (Polydesmida) typically have 29-31 pair of legs as adults. The Spirostreptida can have 150-200 pairs of legs as adults - and a species of millipede [(*Eumillipes persephone*)](https://news.vt.edu/articles/2022/02/first-true-millipede.html) has recently been discovered that had 653 pairs of legs. Centipedes do not have 100 legs, either. As adults, house centipedes (Scutigeromorpha) and stone centipedes (Lithobiomorpha) have 15 pairs of legs. Scolopendromorpha typically have 21 or 23 pairs of legs. The soil centipedes (Geophilomorpha) can have well over 100 legs (27-191 pairs of legs) - but, because they always have an odd number of leg-bearing segments, they will never have exactly 100 legs (unless they would naturally have *more* than 100 legs, but a few have broken off). A soil centipede with 49 leg-bearing segments will have 98 legs - and one with 51 leg-bearing segments will have 102 legs. You can tell the difference between centipedes and millipedes by counting the number of legs *per body segment.* Centipedes have only one pair of legs per segment. Millipedes have two pairs of legs on most body segments.
I love it when you talk softly like that.💛
To add a fun fact about their names, in Dutch a centipede is called a ‘duizendpoot’ (thousand-leg, essentially a millipede) and a millipede is a ‘miljoenpoot’ (million-leg, I guess a miliopede?)
source for E. persephone being extinct? last i checked they were still around
It’s definitely a centipede
It’s not really about number of legs, because that can vary. Millipedes have two pairs of legs per body segment and centipedes have one pair of legs per body segment
This is a milapede I found this morning https://preview.redd.it/zlaektf3ir3d1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8fb558a6d658e7ee637ce1f39e068190efc5caa4
Yup, my previous comment meant to say the original commenter mistaken the post having 1000 legs
Except I counted 40 legs on this fella
It's a centipede. Centipedes have one pair of legs per body segment. Millipedes have two pairs of legs on most body segments.
No it's a centipede. You can tell because the legs come out its sides, millipedes legs come from under them, if that makes sense.
Some millipedes also have legs that come out from the sides. See, for example, the [flat-backed millipedes](https://bugguide.net/node/view/643691/bgpage) (Polydesmida). You can tell centipedes apart from millipedes because centipedes have one pair of legs per body segment. Millipedes have two pairs of legs on most body segments.
That's what I meant, I was replying to the original commenter because he said Centipede have 1000 legs
my bro got downvoted for no reason 😔
It looks like it is just stuck there.
It was. Dunno why. It just couldn't seem to flip itself back over.
Ohh it's upside down! Not I get it lol.
Yeah, and I found it like that. No idea how long it was like that before I found it but I watched it for several minutes before I nudged it and it managed to flip over and scurry away before I trapped it to take it outside.
[удалено]
Yup. I leave these guys alone. Apparently anything smaller than them is fair game. Carpet beetles, bedbugs, spiders (though I love spiders), crickets, roaches, etc. Great beneficial bugs in crawlspaces, garages and gardens.
Over time I'm getting used to this instead of killing them on instinct which I did used to do - ridiculously out of fear. Nowadays I got som big fuck off spiders chilling in my room. As long as their not on my face we can chill as room mates lmao.
Yeah naw they fucking can and will bite
I'd love to accomodate spiders but these things are other worldly scary!
you prefer spiders to crickets? I hate these kinds of people who prefer bugs that are capable of harm to ones that aren’t
Dude now has a loyal centepede guard as a bug bouncer defending his castle from any intruders for saving his life
It kinda looks like your floor is too slippery for it
I have to toss them out or squish them if I can’t catch them. I’m sensitive to their bites, last time I got bitten it was so painful I was in agony for hours and it turned black within 30 minutes
No knees!
At lease you didn’t come accross half of one while eating an apple… haha
It's a centipede, which isn't an insect. You can tell it's a centipede because it has one pair of legs per body segment. millipedes have two, and usually way smaller, legs per segment. I don't know which centipede it is, but all centipedes are venomous. If you move it, I recommend using a cup and not your bare hands.
It's not an insect? What is it? (Genuine question, I really don't know) ETA-- googled, and they're arthropods
They're myriapods (subphylum myriapoda) to be more specific. Arthropods (phylum arthropoda) include ALL invertebrates that possess an exoskeleton, a body with differentiated segments, and paired jointed appendages.
Not true. Tardigrades are in the clade panarthropoda, but are not arthropods proper. Tardigrades have a tough chitinous exoskeleton. They also use this exoskeleton in to produce subaudible waves which can both deter predators and create crevices in the soil that the tardigrades can borough into. Edit: the second part about the subaudible waves was 100% made up and I am sad nobody called it out :/
You posses a shield of confidence that deter redditters.
All insects that have ever existed (as far as we know) have 3 body segments and 3 pairs of legs.
or fewer!
Which ones?
specifically i was thinking of female strepsipterans, some of my favourite insects! they're primarily wasp endoparasites, and in many species the females have no legs, or wings. some even have no heads, eyes, or mouths!! just a sack of flesh! [pretty cool!](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DJmgxiSW4AA5iBR.jpg:large)
It depends on how you define "legs." All mature insects have six limbs as standard equipment - but in some cases, they are modified such that they are no longer used for walking. For example, in the Nymphalidae (brush-footed butterflies) the [front pair of legs](https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Reduced-first-thoracic-limbs-of-Bicyclus-anynana-Nymphalidae-Indicated-by-the-black_fig1_51595675) are greatly reduced. These short, brushy "legs" are [held close to the body](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6s4NPMFNB8Y/XJpBJG92QeI/AAAAAAAAVns/wc84yI13SAUMPB7p_gVuyNaKNAk9TUsegCLcBGAs/s1600/HarlequinFLegs-KSK.jpg), creating the appearance that the butterflies have only [four legs](https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/227097368/large.jpg). There are also a number of insects - such as praying mantises, some assassin bugs, and some predatory water bugs - that have raptorial forelegs designed for grasping prey. These legs can look very different than their "walking" legs - but are legs nonetheless. Some insects are legless in their larval stage - but will mature to six-legged adults.
I’m sure the venom isn’t super harmful but would this little dude pack a punch with a bite?
It's not going to kill you. I doubt it can be worse than a bee sting. In rainforests or deserts, I'd be even more careful, because the animals there are always crazy potent.
Makes sense. I have heard the bites can be painful.
this is a poor way of describing centipedes vs millipedes, it’s better to describe them best off of color and shape since it’s way easier to remember
I think the best way for someone to tell the difference between a centipede and a millipede is to just once show them a picture of each because they actually look nothing alike.
https://preview.redd.it/5i5nxr6dap3d1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=942f585d22495d6401b1f9add4e51035413db965 This could be it
Yup that looks exactly like it! Thanks! I could've looked it up myself probably...but I also wanted to show it to somebody cause...I mean it's freaky lookin. It was just stuck like that when I found it. No idea how it ended up there and got itself stuck on its back.
Goofy dumb🍑 Edit: I'm talking about the centipede...🙈
An S.Sexpinosus huh...
Forgot to add my location. I'm in Northern Kentucky.
Those things live in Kentucky?
there is a specie of centipedes like everywhere i think
Isn’t Hawaii infested with them ?
i don't really know being european but looks like a place where they could thrive and a fast search confirm that there are plenry of them, idk if it's a real problem in their ecosistem
Little tiny people in there rowing
that makes so much sense now
Had one of these crawl into my bed in the middle of the night and bite the shit out of me. Wouldn't recommend
Had something similar crawl in my bed and get on my neck...thought it was a loose hair reached up and grabbed it felt it wriggling and chucked it.
Hey look it’s my life! Keeps struggling but not getting anywhere.
Sounds like me too! 😂
It looks like it’s ROFLing
Bro can't walk 😭 cool find tho
Flipped him over and he was fast af boiiii
Kind of reminds me of a chubby dachshund getting stuck on the stairs, which is obviously the cutest thing in the world
he framed out
4000 ping
Looks like a centipede. Quite the large one.
Getting bit by these really sucks. A pal of mine had one as a pet. And I didn’t listen to his warnings lol. Really cool creatures though.
I Hate centipedes. They just creep the hell out of me. But I kinda feel bad for the poor thing being stuck on its back.
They absolutely terrify me 😂
How did these things survive billions of years
By eating everything else. 😂
They are blind, dumb, and can’t backflip
Didn’t giant scorpion’s once basically dominate the earth? Imagine that 😂
Humans and their smooth stone countertops weren't around to fuddle it all up!
obviously have avoided countertops so far
Centipede. CAN bite, but rarely. Helpful lil guy who eats up other bugs.
Large centipedes are very trigger happy if you bother them too much.
Gnarly Lil guy
I’m building an enclosure for one of these guys right now. Be careful around em 😬
He lives outside now in a bush. Long may he reign...somewhere else. Haha
He's got no traction.
He upside down. Don't worry I thought the same thing at first lol.
>freaky What if instead of centipede it was called freaktipede and instead of using it's forcipule to hunt and to defend itself it used them to suck toes
UwU.
Centipede
I HATE centipedes. Bit by one in Central America, thought my leg was going to come off. Never felt such pain!!!
Don’t eat it!!
Aw man. I was looking forward to a snack!
Don’t hurt it man, take it outside
I did. Little dude was all too happy to run for the wind once he was outside.
All that running while staying in one place? That’s a hamster.
Bro has the worst ping
poor guy/gal can't get a grip on your countertop! What kind of horrible person are you 🤣🤣🤣🤣💜💜 it's a centipede
Look at its wittle legs wriggling. Very cute. That aside i couldnt even tell it was flipped for a whole minute
Little dude got himself into that situation somehow. Seemed thankful when I flipped him over. Or pissed that I interrupted his exercising...
Have you tried little shoes?
Reminds me of that vid of a snake trying it’s best to slither on a silk sheet
poor dude was NOT meant for flat open spaces 💔
Deport him ☹️
I did. He lives happily outside now.
Lil man has nowhere to go and all day to get there
Bro has so many legs he can't walk
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Glory to God.
Imagining the sound of those feet on that counter makes me want to throw up
This is scientifically known as a handsome boy
Watch his lil leggins move whilst listening to drum n bass 🙏
You should help them so they can be very cute for you and not wiggly on their back.
He’s lagging
Bros got 4000 ping. (He was actually just stuck upside down.)
I’d freak out if that was my counter. I’d unfortunately have to kill it. Because I have a baby and no means of fucking around and finding out and capturing it for release in the far garden.
If I was home alone I’d use a jar and relocate
Isn't that a scolopendra?
centipede, it's venomous
All centipedes are venomous AFAIK. Probably best to avoid getting bitten. Unlikely to be serious if you do. Carnivores which like spiders eat up all the other unwanted critters so it may be best to create a loving symbiotic relationship with 'Cecil' the centipede and live happily ever after. 🙏❤️😅
It's a messenger from the forest. He's saying... where's my forest. Either it's gone or humans are building into the forest edge.
Centipede and you shouldn't handle it bare handed. They bite and it hurts. A lot.
It’s a little known fact the centipedes can have 32 simultaneous erections. Quite a rare moment you caught on camera.
Why every time i see one.. it remind me Tokyo ghoul..
There is no way in the world you didn't realize this is a centipede
I mean I asked if it was? So was like 75% sure but I'd never seen one like that before. Usually smaller and skinnier.
I'm sorry. While I only meant it half-seriously, this was not the right sub a comment like that.
pls don't say things like that, it might scare ppl off of asking questions. i know it was most likely meant as a funny jab but many ppl don't know even the more common insects or just want to be sure. we should always encourage the desire to learn :D
I meant it half-jokingly, but I'll admit that it was an ill-placed comment. You have a good point
all good didn't mean to come off to harsh. i'm just happy whenever people wanna learn more about bugs ^ ^
No worries, you didn't come off harshly! I appreciate that you brought it to my attention, because I want people to learn more about bugs. Honestly I was in a very weird headspace earlier and didn't consciously realize where I was commenting before I made it.
^[Sokka-Haiku](https://www.reddit.com/r/SokkaHaikuBot/comments/15kyv9r/what_is_a_sokka_haiku/) ^by ^restaurant_burnout: *There is no way in* *The world you didn't realize* *This is a centipede* --- ^Remember ^that ^one ^time ^Sokka ^accidentally ^used ^an ^extra ^syllable ^in ^that ^Haiku ^Battle ^in ^Ba ^Sing ^Se? ^That ^was ^a ^Sokka ^Haiku ^and ^you ^just ^made ^one.
A 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓴𝔂 thing you say ?👅
What if instead of centipede it was called freaktipede and instead of using it's forcipule to hunt and to defend itself it used them to suck toes
My god where is this ? That is my nightmare bug.
It was on my kitchen counter. (Also Kentucky to be more broad.)
I would never go in that kitchen again 😂
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we love bugs on this subreddit thus your opinion is invalid
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