Millipedes are arthropods from the class Diplopoda that consists of more than 12,000 species. Many of the species are brown or black but can also vary in color, including orange and red. They are detrivores meaning that they feed primarily off of decaying plant matter. Size is variable and ranges from 2 mm to greater than 160 mm, and their body shape can be flattened or cylindrical. Their distribution extends to all continents except Antarctica with a preference for burrowing in dark areas of warm, humid climates such as the tropics. They are easily confused with their distant relative to the centipede but can typically be distinguished by the following criteria. Millipedes have two pairs of legs per body segment compared to centipedes, which have one, they are slower moving than centipedes, and they lack forcipules or fangs like centipedes and are unable to inject venom. Millipedes instead employ defensive mechanisms by curling up in a ball and secreting irritating chemicals from micropores along their sides to deter predators.
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