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Sticker of Pink feather boa millipede
Bug card No. 3345 of 4,939

Pink feather boa millipede

Gosodesmus claremontus
Eats: WoodCentipedes and millipedesForests and woodsNot an insect, but a bug cousin

The pink feather boa millipede is a bright pink or coral millipede from California. Some have a black or purple stripe down the back. With its many legs and its pretty colour, it looks a bit like a fluffy pink scarf.

Fun fact: this one is not an insect. Insects have six legs, and this cousin has many, many more.
Lives in
California in the United States, in rotting wood in the hills and mountains
Length
1.7 to 2.7 cm (0.67 to 1.1 in)
Top speed
about 0.16 km/h (0.1 mph)
On foot, estimate
Can it hurt you?
Harmless
Harmless, but like many millipedes it can make a special chemical to protect itself. Look without touching, and wash your hands if you do pick one up.
What does it eat?
It lives inside rotting wood, most of all old oak wood, and finds its food there.
For real!Photo of Pink feather boa millipede
Picture by Ken-ichi Ueda. CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

How big is it?

How long is it?

Pink feather boa millipede about 2.7 cm long (1.1 in)A grain of rice about 6 mm (0.24 in)A toy building brick about 3.2 cm (1.3 in)A crayon about 9 cm (3.5 in)
as long as 4 grains of rice in a rowcould run across a dinner table in 22 seconds

How big is Pink feather boa millipede compared to YOU?

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How fast is it?

cool stuff

Fun facts

1

Its body can have up to 81 little segments.

2

It is the only species in its whole genus.

3

In 2020, scientists found a brand new chemical in its defence juice and named it gosodesmine after the millipede.

you asked

Most asked questions about Pink feather boa millipede

?Is the pink feather boa millipede dangerous?

No. It can ooze a chemical to protect itself, but it is not dangerous. Just wash your hands after touching it.

?Where does the pink feather boa millipede live?

In California, inside rotting wood, especially old oaks.

For bug experts

Scientific name
Gosodesmus claremontus
Named by
Chamberlin, 1922
Group
Centipedes and millipedes
Classification
Diplopoda > Platydesmida
Lives on
North America

Where the facts come from

  1. Gosodesmus (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
  2. Picture by Ken-ichi Ueda. CC BY 4.0, 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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More from the same group: Centipedes and millipedes

Also at home here: Forests and woods

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