Siamese pointy-tailed millipede

Thyropygus allevatus

Eats: Leftovers and dead things Centipedes and millipedesRainforests and junglesNot an insect, but a bug cousin

The Siamese pointy-tailed millipede is a big, round-backed millipede from Southeast Asia. Its long body is made of many rings, with lots of short legs underneath. Siam is the old name of Thailand.

Fun fact: this one is not an insect. Insects have six legs, and this cousin has many, many more.

Lives in

Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam

Top speed

about 0.2 km/h (0.12 mph)

On foot, estimate

Can it hurt you?

Harmless

Harmless. Like many millipedes it may leak a smelly juice if bothered, so wash your hands after touching it.

What does it eat?

Like other millipedes, it eats dead leaves and rotting plant bits on the forest floor.

Photo of Siamese pointy-tailed millipede — Picture by Len Worthington. CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

How fast is it?

A garden snail about 0.05 km/h (0.03 mph)

Siamese pointy-tailed millipede about 0.2 km/h (0.12 mph)

A tortoise about 0.3 km/h (0.19 mph)

A person walking about 5 km/h (3.1 mph)

cool stuff

Fun facts

It belongs to a group of giant millipedes.

It lives in Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam.

Millipedes have two pairs of legs on most rings of their body.

you asked

Most asked questions about Siamese pointy-tailed millipede

?Is the Siamese pointy-tailed millipede dangerous?

No. It is harmless, but wash your hands if you touch it.

?Where does the Siamese pointy-tailed millipede live?

In Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam.

For bug experts

Scientific name: Thyropygus allevatus
Named by: Karsch, 1881
Group: Centipedes and millipedes
Family: Harpagophoridae
Classification: Diplopoda > Spirostreptida > Harpagophoridae
Lives on: Asia

Where the facts come from

Thyropygus allevatus (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
Picture by Len Worthington. CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.

If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

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