Millipede

There are 62 different species of millipede found in the UK.

Millipedes coil themselves up if they feel afraid, so they can sometimes look like snails' shells. Millipede's bodies are divided into segments, with two pairs of legs per segment. Depending on the species, they can have between 40 and 400 legs - nowhere near the 1000 that their name suggests, but generally more than centipedes. 

You usually find them under rocks or woods. They are herbivores and they feed on rotting vegetation, such as leaves and wood, recycling the nutrients back into the earth.  

A few years ago, scientists discovered the fossil of a giant millipede on the Northumberland coast near Howick Hall. They estimate that this creature roamed the Earth 326 million years ago and was approximately 2.7 metres long - as big as a car!