Which Arthropods Have More Than Eight Legs?
It’s no secret that the fear of insects and spiders is widespread. What frightens people the most about insects and spiders is their multiple legs. Any creature that possess more than four legs and less than two is viewed as otherworldly, and ultimately, off-putting. However, those who are afraid of insects and spiders and other arthropods should remember that arthropods are the most abundant animals on earth. In fact, over 90 percent of all of earth’s documented species are classified as arthropods. Therefore, if a person fears any animal with more than four legs, they fear the vast majority of all living things on this planet, and that is no way for a human to live. Some people may forget that the world is full of arthropods that possess more than eight legs. Believe it or not, but there exists numerous arthropods that possess well over one hundred legs.
Arthropods are divided into four groups. These groups are arachnids, insects, crustaceans, and myriapods. Of course, insects possess six legs, arachnids possess eight but crustaceans possess eight legs or more. Luckily, nobody will find a crustacean-pest infestation within their home. The arthropod group that many people cannot tolerate finding within their home are myriapods. Both centipedes and millipedes are classified as myriapods, as they possess at least 18 legs.
Considering the name “millipede” it is commonly assumed that they are smaller than centipedes, and therefore have fewer legs. In reality, some centipedes are longer than millipedes but millipedes possess the greatest number of legs of all arthropods. Millipedes have more than 80 body segments. Two pairs of legs exist on each of these 80 segments. Centipedes, on the other hand, have 100 body segments, but each segment only has one pair of legs. Millipedes move more slowly than centipedes and they are also more worm-like in appearance. However, many people find millipedes to be more frightening than centipedes, as there exists many enormous millipede species that deal out venomous bites. For example, the giant African millipede possesses around 250 legs and is fifteen inches in length. Luckily, these millipedes have not established any new habitats outside of their native land.
Have you ever found a millipede in your home? Can you tell the difference between millipedes and centipedes?