Illacme
Illacme is a tiny, thin millipede from California with an amazing number of legs. Most have more than 600, and one had 750. For a long time no animal in the world was known to have more legs.
How fast is it?
Fun facts
It was first found in 1926 and then nobody saw it again for almost 80 years, until a student found it in 2005.
On average it has over 600 legs, about twice as many as most millipedes.
The females grow to just over 3 centimetres long, and the males are a bit smaller and have fewer legs.
In 2021 scientists found a millipede in Australia with 1306 legs, so Illacme lost its record.
Most asked questions about Illacme
?How many legs does Illacme have?
Usually more than 600. The most ever counted on one was 750.
?Where does Illacme live?
Only in a small part of central California in the USA, hidden in the ground.
?Is Illacme dangerous?
No. It is a tiny millipede that stays hidden and cannot hurt people.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Illacme plenipes
- Named by
- Cook & Loomis, 1928
- Group
- Centipedes and millipedes
- Family
- Siphonorhinidae
- Classification
- Diplopoda > Siphonophorida > Siphonorhinidae
- Lives on
- North America
Where the facts come from
- Illacme plenipes (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by Marek, P.; Shear, W.; Bond, J. (2012). CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons. The round sticker of this bug is cut from the same picture.
If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at hello@bugwiki.app and we will fix it.
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