Smokey oak millipede

Narceus gordanus

Eats: Leftovers and dead things Centipedes and millipedesDeserts and dry placesNot an insect, but a bug cousin

The smokey oak millipede is a big, round millipede with 45 to 65 body rings. Each ring is pale greenish tan with a darker band, so it matches the sandy ground. When scared, it curls up into a tight spiral.

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

Lives in

The southeastern United States, mostly in the sandy scrub of Florida

Length

6 to 12 cm (2.4 to 4.7 in)

Top speed

about 0.35 km/h (0.22 mph)

On foot, estimate

Can it hurt you?

Harmless

Harmless. When scared it oozes a smelly liquid that can stain your skin brown for a while. Wash your hands after touching one.

What does it eat?

It eats rotting leaves, dead wood and other bits of dead plants.

Photo of Smokey oak millipede — Picture by Andrew C. CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

How big is it?

How long is it?

as long as 4 toy building bricks in a rowabout as long as your handcould run across a dinner table in 10 seconds

How big is Smokey oak millipede compared to YOU?

Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.

How fast is it?

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

A tortoise about 0.3 km/h (0.19 mph)

Smokey oak millipede about 0.35 km/h (0.22 mph)

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

cool stuff

Fun facts

It can be up to 12 centimetres long, about as long as a pencil stub.

It is mostly active at night.

Its legs are shorter than those of its cousins.

Its feelers rest in a deep groove on its head.

you asked

Most asked questions about Smokey oak millipede

?Is the smokey oak millipede poisonous?

No. Its smelly liquid can stain skin, but it is harmless. Just wash your hands.

?How big is the smokey oak millipede?

It is about 6 to 12 centimetres long.

For bug experts

Scientific name: Narceus gordanus
Group: Centipedes and millipedes
Family: Spirobolidae
Classification: Diplopoda > Spirobolida > Spirobolidae
Lives on: North America
Also known as: Smokey ghost millipede

Where the facts come from

Narceus gordanus (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 Andrew C. CC BY 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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