Millipede For other uses , see Millipede ( disambiguation ) . ? Millipedes Rusty millipede ( Trigoniulus corallinus ) Scientific classification Kingdom : Animalia Phylum : Arthropoda Subphylum : Myriapoda Class : Diplopoda de Blainville in Gervais , 1844 Subclasses Helminthomorpha Penicillata Pentazonia Millipedes ( Class Diplopoda , previously also known as Chilognatha ) are very elongated arthropods with cylindrical bodies that have two pairs of legs for each one of their 20 to 100 or more body segments ( except for the first segment behind the head which does not have any appendages at all , and the next few which only have one pair of legs ) . Each segment that has two pairs of legs is a result of two single segments fused together as one . This class contains around 10 , 000 species . These animals are detritivores , slow and nonvenomous ; unlike the somewhat similar and closely related centipedes ( Class Chilopoda ) , which can be easily distinguished by their single pair of legs for each body segment . Most millipedes eat decaying leaves and other dead plant matter , moisturizing the food with secretions and then scraping it in with the jaws . However they can also be a minor garden pest , especially in greenhouses where they can cause severe damage to emergent seedlings . Signs of millipede damage include the stripping of the outer layers of a young plant stem and irregular damage to leaves and plant apices . This class of arthropods is thought to be among the first animals to colonize land during the Silurian geologic period . These early forms probably ate mosses and primitive vascular plants . Indeed , the very oldest known land animal , Pneumodesmus newmani , was a centimeter-long millipede . Characteristics The millipede 's most obvious feature is its large number of legs . In fact its name is a compound word formed from the Latin roots milli ( `` thousand '' ) and ped ( `` foot '' ) . Despite their name , these creatures do not have a thousand legs , although the rare species Illacme plenipes have up to 750 . However , common species have between 80 and 400 legs . Having very many short legs makes millipedes rather slow , but they are powerful burrowers . With their legs and body length moving in a wavelike pattern , they easily force their way underground head first . They also seem to have some engineering ability , reinforcing the tunnel by rearranging the particles around it . The head contains a pair of sensory organs known as the Tömösváry organs . These are found just posterior and lateral to the antennae , and are shaped as small and oval rings at the base of the antennae . They are probably used to measure the humidity in the surroundings , and they may have some chemoreceptory abilities too . Due to their lack of speed , millipedes ' primary defense mechanism is to curl into a tight coil—protecting their delicate legs inside an armoured body exterior . Many species also emit a somewhat poisonous liquid secretion or hydrogen cyanide gas through microscopic pores along the sides of their bodies as a secondary defense . Some of these substances are acidic and can burn the exoskeleton of ants and other insect predators , and the skin and eyes of larger predators . As far as humans are concerned , this chemical brew is fairly harmless , although it should never be eaten or applied to the eyes . Because of this , caution should be used when handling millipedes . Lemurs have been known to intentionally irritate millipedes in order to rub the chemicals on themselves to repel insect pests , and possibly to produce a psychoactive effect . Some millipede species may be amphibious . Treatment This was caused by an American millipede . The child put on his shoe and crushed the millipede which had crawled in his shoe the night before . Millipedes do not bite . They secrete an irritating toxin . Toxic secretions of millipedes should be washed from the skin with large amounts of soap and water . If a skin reaction develops , a corticosteroid cream should be applied . Eye injuries should be flushed with water immediately . Notes ^ See `` Most leggy millipede rediscovered `` BBC News , 8 June 2006 Order Spirobolida Family Spirobolidae Narceus americanus Literature Blum & Woodring. 1962 . Secretion of Benzaldehyde and Hydrogen Cyanide by the Millipede Pachydesmus crassicutis . Science 138 : 513 . Gallery Pill Millipede , Western Ghats , India Sri Lankan Giant Millipede A number of millipedes - found under a rock Large Millipede Found in Great Smoky Mt National Park , TN , USA External links Wikispecies has information related to : Diplopoda Photo gallery of millipedes . blue Polydesmid millipede - Picture taken in Veracruz , Mexico . American Millipede - Photos of American Millipede Categories : Myriapods | Millipedes In other languages : Dansk | Deutsch | Español | Français | Ido | 日本語 | עברית | Lietuvių | Nederlands | Norsk ( bokmål ) | Polski | Português | Basa Sunda pink Millipedes Millipede.jpg 250px Rusty millipede ( Trigoniulus corallinus ) Animalia Arthropoda Myriapoda Diplopoda de Blainville in Gervais , 1844 Subclasses Helminthomorpha Penicillata Pentazonia Diplopoda 