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Under a log
White-legged snake millipede
Tachypodoiulus niger
A shiny black tube of a creature with a fringe of fine white legs, which coils up when touched.
- Size
- Up to 5cm long
- Look for it
- All year round
- Where
- Under logs and bark, in leaf litter and on walls at night
My spotter's list
Glides slowly after you, and coils into a spiral if you touch its head. Move your pointer and see.
Good to know
Six things about the millipede
LegsNot a thousand legs
This millipede has about 100 legs. It has two pairs on almost every body segment.
CoilCoiling up
When it is disturbed, a snake millipede winds itself into a flat spiral with its head safe in the middle.
FoodA gentle recycler
Millipedes eat dead leaves, rotting wood and fungi, turning them back into soil.
MovingLegs in waves
Watch a millipede walk and you'll see its legs moving in waves that travel along its body.
DefenceA nasty taste
Many millipedes can ooze a smelly liquid that puts off birds and other hunters.
ClimbingA night climber
After dark, white-legged snake millipedes climb walls and tree trunks to graze on algae.
The real thing
Photos of the millipede
Out and aboutHow to spot one
Look under bark and logs, or on walls and tree trunks after dark. It moves slowly and smoothly, and coils up if touched.
Lend a handHow to help
Leave dead wood and fallen leaves to rot where they lie. Millipedes are part of the team that breaks them down.
Following youLadybird
Who should follow you?
Bees and hoverflies
Butterflies and moths
Dragonflies and damselflies
Beetles, hoppers and ants
Not insects at all
Snails and spiders aren't insects: a snail is a mollusc, and spiders have eight legs.
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Under a log
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River animals live on the River page: choosing one takes you there.
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