one of the most impressive animals I met this year was a huge platyrhacid millipede, found chugging through some bamboo leaf litter in Malaysia.
he was a pleasant weight to hold in the hand, but spread out over so many gentle, graceful legs. the video offers a nice look at his eyeless face—all polydesmidan millipedes lack eyes.
I only hung onto this animated spinal cord for about thirty seconds before setting him back in the leaves, but I recall this encounter so vividly. a truly memorable creature
if you’re curious how I knew this exquisite gentleman was male, sexing millipedes is pretty easy (especially when they’re hand-sized!)
count to the 8th leg (millipedes have 2 legs per “diplosegment”) & if it’s there, you have a female. males instead have their 8th legs modified into gonopods, hook-shaped sexual organs. yep, millipedes have their genitalia on their “necks”! females lay eggs from there too
