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This class of arthropods is thought to be among the first animals to colonize land during the Silurian geologic period. These early forms probably ate mosses and primitive vascular plants.

The millipede's most obvious feature is its large number of legs. In fact its name is a compound word formed from the Latin roots milli ("thousand") and ped ("foot"). Despite their name, these creatures do not have a thousand legs, although some rare species are close enough with an amazing 750. However, common species have between 80 and 400 legs.

400px Sri LankaThe Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka (known as Ceylon before 1972) is a tropical island nation off the southeast coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known in ancient times as Lanka Lankadweepa (meaning "Resplendent Land" in Sanskrit), Taprobane ann Giant Millipede (Spirostreptus sp.)

Having very many short legs makes millipedes rather slow, but they are powerful burrowers. Waving their body length and with the legs moving in a wavelike pattern, they easily force their way underground, head first. They also seem to have some engineering ability, reinforcing the tunnel by rearranging the particles around it.

Due to their lack of speed, millipedes' primary defense mechanism is to coil into a tight coil—protecting their delicate legs inside an armored body exterior. Many speciesThis article discusses biological species. Also see combinatorial species for the mathematical meaning of the term. Species is also a movie by Roger Donaldson. In English "species" is both singular and plural. The word " specie" is unrelated and is used t also emit a somewhat poisonThis article is about the dangerous substance. For the band see Poison. skull and crossbones symbol traditionally used to label a poisonous substance. In the context of biology, poisons are substances that cause injury, illness, or death to organisms, usuous liquid secretion through microscopic poreA pore in general, is some form of opening, usually very small. Pores can be found on many organisms, such as in plants, animals, and humans. More commonly, in talking about the skin, a pore is an opening that secretes sebaceous oil to lubricate and protes along the sides of their bodies as a secondary defense. Some of these substances are acidFor alternative meanings see acid (disambiguation). An acid (represented by the generic formula AH is typically a water-soluble, sour-tasting chemical compound. An acid always has a pH of less than 7. It is a molecule or ion that contains hydrogen or thatic and can burn the exoskeletonExoskeleton in contrast of endoskeleton, is a general term to describe various external anatomical features that support and protect animals' bodies. Many invertebrate animals such as insects, crustaceans and shellfish have exoskeletons. Without scales, s of ants and other insect predators, and the skin and eyes of larger predators. As far as humans are concerned, this chemical brew is fairly harmless, although it should never be eaten or applied to the eyes. In other words, use caution when handling millipedes.