Mombassan train millipede

Scientific name: Epibolus pulcripes

Continent: Africa

Diet: Dead and rotting vegetable material - detrivore. Baby millipedes are said to be coprophagus, meaning that they eat the dung of their parents. This may sound unpleasant but it actually helps the young in two ways. Not only is the food ready chopped, but it also contains vital bacteria from the guts of the adults which help the young with their own digestive processes.

Food & feeding: Herbivore

Habitats: Tropical rainforest, tropical grassland

Conservation status: Not Threatened

Relatives: Giant centipede

Description: Centipedes and millipedes are among the most ancient sorts of animal that live on dry land. They have a waxy outer coating to their bodies that helps prevent them from drying out but they still prefer damp places and areas of high humidity. Centipedes and millipede can be distinguished by the number of legs they have on each body segment. Centipedes have one set of legs per segment whereas millipedes have two. Epibolus pulcripes can reach up to 30 cm in length.

Lifestyle: Giant millipedes are found in the tropics. They live in dark damp places, such as amongst leaf-litter or under the roots of trees and feed on dead, rotting organic matter. They have poor eyesight (some species have tiny eyes) and use their antennae to help find dead organic matter and determine whether it has decayed enough for them to eat.

Family & friends: It is thought that millipedes do not seek each other's company, but a juicy piece of rotting fruit may encourage gatherings of over a hundred individuals.

Keeping in touch: When millipedes come together to mate, the male signals to the female with special rhythmic waves of leg movement. The pair will then coil around each other's bodies while sperm is transferred to the female. After they separate, the male has no further involvement with the young.

Growing up: Female millipedes lay hundreds of eggs in nests of depressed soil just below ground level. Some females guard the eggs but all millipedes are abandoned once they have hatched. The young grow quickly until maturity is reached at three to six years, depending on species.

Conservation news: These creatures are not threatened. Other smaller species of millipede are common all over the world, where they help break down leaf litter in forests, recycling nutrients from the dead leaves back into the soil - and ultimately back into the trees. They perform an overlooked but vital role in many habitats.

When threatened, these peaceful plant-eaters secrete a liquid from pores along the sides of their bodies. This foul smelling and truly terrible tasting fluid varies in toxicity from species to species, some even contains cyanide to repel or kill insect predators. However, this defense mechanism is rarely used, usually only if the animal is dropped or pinched. Instead, most millipedes prefer to coil into a tight spiral, protecting their head and soft underside. Some species can roll up into tight balls - like the Madagascan pill millipede, which looks like a giant woodlouse.