FOR AGES 3 YEARS TO 18 YEARS
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.
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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 giant African millipede (Archispirostreptus gigas) may be an exciting choice for an exotic pet that is both easy to maintain and to look after. A millipede may resemble other centipedes but they are, actually, arthropods. Millipede means thousand but they don’t have such a huge number of legs. Instead they have around 100 legs only wherein there are two legs for every body segment. The number of legs keep on increasing every time they molt, so every new body segment is accompanied with more legs. The giant African millipede might look like a centipede, but it is quite different from them and is in fact a distant relative of crabs and shrimps. Their natural habitat is warm and dark places near the floor of the forest like burrows and rotting wood.
As these millipedes are very docile and slow moving, they can make for an exotic pet and they can easily be kept in a suitable enclosure with numerous other millipedes as they get along well with each other. When they face any danger they either recoil into a tight spiral or might secrete a liquid that can cause skin irritation. Below are some fun facts about giant African millipedes, so read on and let’s get to know them better. After this, you may also like to look at stink bug and water beetle.
An African giant millipede Archispirostreptus gigas is an invertebrate that feeds on decaying matter and plant material, having 300-400 legs. They have four legs per body segment.
The giant African millipedes come under the class of arthropods. Millie means thousand but this name is somewhat deceptive, as giant African millipedes do not have so many legs.
There are about 10,000 species of millipedes spread throughout the world with giant African millipede archispirostreptus being the largest of them all.
An African millipede Archispirostreptus Gigas is mainly found in the rainforests of Africa where they thrive and live near rotting wood.
The giant African millipedes have their habitat on the warm forest floor. This giant African millipede archispirostreptus has the ability to live communally. They can also be found in a zoo.
The giant African millipedes could commonly be found living in a zoo or either as a house pet that suits their environmental needs.
These millipedes have a life expectancy of around five and seven years in the wild. However, under human care, these millipedes may live up to 10 years with proper care.
The male giant African millipedes swirl around a female to deposit sperm. After this process, the female millipede lays around 100 eggs. These eggs hatch after three months.
The African giant millipede is thriving. This means their population has the Least Concern status.
A giant African millipede has about 30-40 body segments that consist of at least hundreds of legs.
Giant African millipedes are quite docile and very slow, making them look cute. They can be tamed as well.
A female millipede usually rubs a male millipede to show a display of affection that leads them to reproduce.
An adult African millipede extends to around seven to eleven inches which makes it slightly bigger than the average species of millipedes.
The millipede is a type of species that is relatively slow-moving and is docile.
A giant African millipede usually weighs around 200-230 g.
Whether it be male giant African millipedes or female giant African millipedes, they are both known as 'millipedes'.
Baby giant African millipedes are simply known as baby millipede.
Millipedes usually feed on decaying organic matter like leaves, rotting wood, plant material. Millipede pairs of legs help it to travel and feed on decaying matter across its travels.
Yes, these millipedes are poisonous and produce a foul toxin to scare off their predators.
Yes, these millipedes would make a good pet provided they live in a tank that is three times the total length of the millipede.
Whenever a millipede molts, it develops a new segment of the body that has four additional legs. This segment of the body also consists of two pairs of internal organs. The molting process usually begins when giant African millipedes are only seven months old and this process goes on for years until they are fully matured.
After the mating process, a female millipede lays eggs after about two to three months. A female lays around a hundred eggs. Their body consists of tiny holes that help them breathe. In order to defend themselves from other predators, giant African millipedes produce toxins that have foul smell to scare them away.
Yes, giant African millipedes are legal to purchase. If you are planning to buy one, make sure you purchase the giant African millipedes from a known local breeder as these breeders have a good sense of taking care of them.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other arthropods including house centipede, or fungus beetle.
You can even occupy yourself at home by drawing one on our Giant African 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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