One of the longest
It can grow to more than thirty centimetres, making it one of the largest millipedes alive.
The Congo rainforest · Centipedes, millipedes and woodlice
Giant African millipede
Archispirostreptus gigas
A glossy black millipede as long as a ruler and as thick as a thumb, with hundreds of reddish legs.
- Size
- Up to 30cm or more
- Look for it
- All year round
- Where
- Forest floor and leaf litter in East Africa
Glides after you on waves of legs. Move your pointer and see.
When to look
Giant millipede
Good to know
Six things about the giant millipede
About 250 legs
Despite the name, no millipede has a thousand legs. This one has around 250.
It rolls into a coil
If frightened it curls into a tight spiral, with its head safe in the middle.
A chemical defence
It oozes a liquid from pores along its sides that stains skin and tastes foul.
It carries its own cleaners
Tiny mites live on its body and keep it clean. They do it no harm.
A gentle giant
It eats only rotting leaves and wood, and cannot bite or sting.
The real thing
Photos of the giant millipede
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Photos are from Wikimedia Commons, used under the free licences shown. They have been resized, and cropped where they appear in link previews.
How to spot one
Look on the forest floor after rain, when they come out to walk. The slow ripple of the legs is easy to follow.
How to help
Millipedes turn dead leaves back into soil. They are often kept as pets, and should never be released where they do not belong.
Keep going
More from The Congo rainforest
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