EPOW - Ecology Picture of the Week

The African Giant With 160 Legs

African Giant Millipede (Archispirostreptus gigas; and red form or separate species), Family Spirostreptidae
Democratic Republic of the Congo, Africa

Explanation:  Millipede black, millipede red.  No, this is not a Dr. Seuss creation about a mythical giant crawling multi-legged fantasy.  This is real.  

The African giant millipede grows to 11 inches (28 cm) or more.  It is the largest millipede on Earth.

It's a mostly solitary inhabitant of the moist African tropics, but is also widely sold and transported as an odd kind of pet.  

They play important ecological roles in the forest ecosystem by chewing and breaking down leaf litter and other vegetation, thereby recycling nutrients back into the healthy growing trees and plants.  

Despite its startling appearance, it is mild mannered, and easy to handle.  Their defense consists of rolling into a tight curl to protect its legs, and to exude a harsh secretion comprised of quinones and hydrochloric acid ... nothing to garnish the salad with.  

Defensive position.

This red form may be the same species as the black form, or a
related species that occurs with bright red legs and head. 

And yes, it does sport some 160 legs ... more or less.  The species, like most millipedes, has two pairs of legs per segment, and usually grows 30 to 40 segments.  You do the math.
 

Fun in the forest:  During one remote expedition to the central Congo, I encountered an African giant millipede while I was out on a forest trail with a few locals.  I stopped to inspect and photograph it, to the amusement of my companions, then pranked them by pretending to eat it, to their horror and shouting and chagrin.  I then showed them the beast, coiled up, that I had palmed in my hand, and we all laughed and had a great rest of the trek together.  Sometimes silly humor does much to bring people together across language and cultural barriers.  

Information:
     Damsgaard, C., A. Fago, S. Hagner-Holler, H. Malte, T. Burmester, and R. E. Weber.  2013.  Molecular and functional characterization of hemocyanin of the giant African millipede, Archispirostreptus gigas.  Journal of Experimental Biology 216(9):1616-1623.
     Wood, W. F.  1974.  Toluquinone and 2-Methoxy-3-methylbenzoquinone from the defensive secretions of three African millipedes.  Annals of the Entomological Society of America 67(6):988-989.
     Wu, X., D. W. Buden, and A. B. Attygalle.  2007.  Hydroquinones from defensive secretion of a giant Pacific millipede, Acladocricus setigerus (Diploda: Spirobolida). Chemoecology 17:131-138.