Many-Legged Friends
I don't know a common name for these but they cluster up on the side or ends of logs. There may be some reproduction going on. Platydesmida is the name of the order.
I found this one on the wall of my garage. There are about 8,000 species of centipede around the world with more to be discovered. The main difference between millipedes and centipedes is that centipedes have fangs (visible in this image) that they use to dispatch small prey. With the exception of some tropical species, centipedes are harmless to humans -- in fact, they make good house guests since they will get rid of other small insects. By the way, millipedes do not have fangs and are scavengers.
Another local millie.
Like most millipedes I'm familiar with, these are nocturnal.
Often, you will see a male of this species riding on the back of a female. Apparently, after they mate, the male will stay put and prevent other males from mating with the female.
Hard to find one of these that is sitting still!
Some species remind me of those wonderful art deco steam trains you see on posters.
One of only a handful I've found in hundreds of hours hiking and photographing at La Selva Biological Station in Costa Rica. Onychophora are really beautiful even when you can't get a shot of their faces.
Possibly my favorite creature in this entire gallery! Velvet worms (Onychophora) are somewhat difficult to find, stunningly beautiful and only live in a few areas of the world. They don't qualify as millipedes or centipedes and are thinly studied. Fires in Australia may have wiped out huge numbers and they are threatened by habitat loss elsewhere. They have a lifestyle worth googling. Elsewhere on this site, I've posted a species from Costa Rica.
This is a large species -- 9"+ or 200mm+ plus. They are completely harmless and bumble about on trees at night. Some of them are toxic so best not to eat them. They are strikingly similar to millipedes I find in the Appalachian mountains -- but about four times the size.
I'm fascinated by the mechanics of these guys. The way their segments fit together varies greatly by species.
Centipede from La Selva Biological Station, Costa Rica.
One of my favorite Millies and a common one in forests here. Under UV light some millipedes fluoresce slightly. IIRC, this is one of them.
I think I either terrified this centipede or he was taking a nap -- like the ones in North America, they never seem to stand still!
Platydesmida suspected, Sarawak
Difficult to get any idea of what this is. Could be Pseudodesmus, could be Platydesmida. Could be something else. But I like the softness of the textures. One day, when I'm too creaky to crawl about in the rainforest photographing these critters, I'll try and ID him.
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I see these pale colored Millies and wonder if they have moulted and are in the process of darkening up. I probably scared this one and, like many creatures including reptiles, some mammals and many insects, he curled up as a defensive maneuver. My apologies!
Yet another local...Millipedes spend a lot of time patrolling rotten wood.
Large house centipede,Malaysia
I'm not sure how I managed to get this shot since these guys are extremely fast and avoid light. Typically, I see one, and by the time I've moved close enough to start thinking about a photograph it has fled. But they do seem to rest on leaves sometimes so perhaps this one was napping.
The fangs are plainly visible and are adapted forelegs. Harmless to humans. Remember, millipedes have four legs per segment. Centipedes have two.
I spent about a week in the mountains outside of Kuching and didn't see these until one night when large numbers magically appeared. A couple of days later they all vanished.
