IFinally, the millipede lives up to its name: Scientists have discovered a real millipede for the first time – and with it 1306 legs. The new organism, Eumileps persephone, surpasses all millipedes counted thus far, according to Virginia Tech University researcher Paul Marek. AFP news agency said. So far the so-called millipedes have actually only been able to show a maximum of 750 feet.
Novel, real millipedes were discovered in a borehole at a depth of 60 meters in a mining area in Western Australia, according to a study published on Thursday. It was named after Persephone, the Greek goddess of the underworld.
Never before has a living thing with more legs been found. As the study says, the creature, which resembles a string and is less than ten centimeters long, has a cone-like head with “huge antennae.”
Eumileps Persephone has no eyes and is colorless. This is typical of animals that spend their entire lives deep underground. It lengthens its flexible body to become even narrower and thus crawls into the finest of crevices. His many feet in these crevices help him to move forward.
A ray of hope for biodiversity
Insect expert Andre Nel was impressed by this discovery. Such insects typically have “long legs” rather than “long bodies,” he said of the study he was not involved in. Australia’s discovery is a ray of hope for biodiversity. Explained Nel, the mini-cavity is a little-known habitat. New species are often discovered there.
According to the study, millipedes were among the first to breathe animals on Earth. Therefore some extinct species were more than two meters long. Living things play an important role in the ecosystem in which they live by eating debris and recycling nutrients. Baby millipedes are born with only four legs, but can develop new body parts into adulthood with new legs.
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