FOR AGES 3 YEARS TO 18 YEARS
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Kidadl provides inspiration to entertain and educate your children. We recognise that not all activities and ideas are appropriate and suitable for all children and families or in all circumstances. Our recommended activities are based on age but these are a guide. We recommend that these ideas are used as inspiration, that ideas are undertaken with appropriate adult supervision, and that each adult uses their own discretion and knowledge of their children to consider the safety and suitability.
Kidadl cannot accept liability for the execution of these ideas, and parental supervision is advised at all times, as safety is paramount. Anyone using the information provided by Kidadl does so at their own risk and we can not accept liability if things go wrong.
The American Giant Millipede (Narceus americanus), also known as an iron worm, inhabits a humid terrestrial habitat among agricultural lands and forests of the seaboard of Eastern North America. This is one of the larger species of millipedes, and they live among soil litter, usually under rocks, dead trees, rotting animal corpses, and decaying leaf piles.
These millipedes have an elongated, cylindrical chitin-coated body which is divided into various segments lined with at least 50 pairs of legs. They are black with maroon undertones and the edges of their body may be colored purple, pink, or even yellow. These millipedes breed every year, usually during the onset of spring to early summer, and the female lays only one egg. The parent does not take care of the young.
Unlike most millipede species, the American Giant Millipede (Narceus americanus) does not produce hydrogen cyanide. Instead, when threatened, they curl up into a spiral or release a liquid contain benzoquinones, a chemical known to cause skin burns. In addition, these millipedes have not been evaluated by the IUCN and hence do not have definite conservation status.
If you enjoy reading about insects, check out the Millipede and Water Beetle fact pages.
The American Giant Millipede is a species of large North American millipedes with a segmented body.
These North American millipedes belong to the class of Diploda, under the family of Spirobolidae and genus Narceus.
The exact number of these millipedes has not been recorded. However, it is known that this species has an abundant range because they are common among soil-litter in eastern North America.
This American Giant Millipede range is found across eastern North America. This species is spotted in the United States and Canada.
These millipedes live in humid terrestrial forests or agricultural regions, usually under leaf-litter piles, dead trees, rocks, and animal corpses like most worms. They can also be spotted among urban and suburban settlements.
Although there is not much research about their lifestyle behavior, like most millipedes, these North American species are known to be solitary as well.
It is known that the American Giant Millipede lifespan can range over several years and the longest record is of around 11 years. The typical lifespan in the wild and captivity may be around 1-11 years, depending on the circumstances.
This North American species breed seasonally, usually active during the onset of spring through to early summer. The breeding American Giant Millipede males secrete pheromones on a spun silken thread to attract the females. After selecting their partners, the male crawls over the female's back to stimulate her. Later, the males release a sac of stored sperm once the female raises the front segments. Females may mate just once and choose to fertilize all their eggs with the stored sperm or mate with multiple males for fertilization. On the other hand, males are known to mate with multiple females. She prepares a nest in which she lays only one egg. The egg is incubated by the female until it hatches, usually after a couple of weeks. The parents do not care for the young and leave them to fend for themselves. The newly hatched millipedes take up to one to two years to reach maturity and males usually mature before the females.
These North American millipedes have not been evaluated by the IUCN and thus, have the status of Not Evaluated.
These North American millipedes have a long, cylindrical body with an exoskeleton made from chitin. Their body is divided into segments, and attached to each of these, are two pairs of legs. Although they look similar to the centipede, the major difference between the two species is that centipedes have a single pair of legs on each segment along with venomous claws on their heads. This millipede species has an overall black shade with maroon undertones. Sometimes, the rims of each body segment are brightly colored in purple, yellow, or pink hues. Their bodies have stink glands containing ozopores and spiracles on all the segments. Although this species has similar-looking males and females, the males' antennae and legs are longer than the females'. In addition, slight differences in the look and number of legs may be seen across the subspecies of this North American millipede.
These worm-like animals do not have a highly pleasing appearance and would not be considered cute.
Due to a lack of research, it isn't easy to know the communication pattern among these animals. However, these North American millipedes tend to communicate through the release of hormones during the mating season.
The American Giant Millipede size can be measured at a length of 4 in (10 cm), which is around two times smaller than the Giant Centipede.
Their movement speeds have not been recorded, but considering it is a species of millipedes, they would move comparatively slow.
These millipedes are quite light and weigh around 0.17 oz (2.5 g) which is more than twice the weight of the Cicada Killer Wasp.
The male and female of these North American millipedes share the same name. In addition, this millipede is also known as an iron worm.
They can be called baby or juvenile millipedes.
These millipedes have a detritivorous diet and usually eat decaying plant parts such as the roots, leaves, and wood.
Although not life-threatening, these animals secrete a chemical containing large amounts of benzoquinones when threatened. This noxious secretion is known to cause skin burns or irritation.
Unless it is for research, it is not advised to keep these millipedes as pets, even more so because they live among soil litter in humid regions hidden away under dead trees, animal corpses, and decaying piles of leaves.
The most number of legs recorded on this millipede species is 375 pairs.
These millipedes are nocturnal and hibernate during the cold months while remaining active during the nights.
These animals are capable of moving sideways, forward, backward, and also burrow into the soil.
They have Tömösváry organs, which act as chemoreceptors and are used to measure humidity.
These North American millipedes are preyed on by raccoons, skunks, cockroaches, toads, lizards, moles, possums, and turtles.
These millipedes are mildly noxious because of the liquid they release when threatened. This liquid contains huge amounts of benzoquinones, which are known to cause dermal burns and irritation. However, other species of millipedes produce hydrogen cyanide, which is extremely poisonous and can cause worse reactions when touched.
No, these millipedes do not have teeth or pincers and therefore cannot bite. Their only defense mechanism is releasing the noxious liquid in their body.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other arthropods from our Giant African Millipede facts and House Centipede facts pages.
You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable American Giant Millipede coloring pages.
Read The Disclaimer
At Kidadl we pride ourselves on offering families original ideas to make the most of time spent together at home or out and about, wherever you are in the world. We strive to recommend the very best things that are suggested by our community and are things we would do ourselves - our aim is to be the trusted friend to parents.
We try our very best, but cannot guarantee perfection. We will always aim to give you accurate information at the date of publication - however, information does change, so it’s important you do your own research, double-check and make the decision that is right for your family.
Kidadl provides inspiration to entertain and educate your children. We recognise that not all activities and ideas are appropriate and suitable for all children and families or in all circumstances. Our recommended activities are based on age but these are a guide. We recommend that these ideas are used as inspiration, that ideas are undertaken with appropriate adult supervision, and that each adult uses their own discretion and knowledge of their children to consider the safety and suitability.
Kidadl cannot accept liability for the execution of these ideas, and parental supervision is advised at all times, as safety is paramount. Anyone using the information provided by Kidadl does so at their own risk and we can not accept liability if things go wrong.
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