The Xystocheir dissecta is a millipede.  My Millipedes common name is the Alcatraz millipede. Millipedes are very peaceful and interesting creatures.  It is a myth that millipedes have a thousand legs most millipedes only have about 70-300 legs.  The thing that separates this millipede from the rest is that this millipede glows under ultraviolet light.

 

They are most active at night and usually hide during the day in cracks and other moist locations.  Millipedes always look pretty clean and when healthy they are in fact very clean animals, spending a great deal of time cleaning and polishing all the various parts of their bodies.  Though it is not visually obvious millipedes do have a what is called a thorax and an abdomen.

 

Millipedes live outdoors in damp areas such as under leaves, needles and dead plant debris, or in cracks and crevices.Millipedes migrate in great numbers when it is too hot or too cold, too wet or too dry. They may migrate indoorsMore than 10,000 species of millipedes have been discovered. Millipedes are related to centipedes.

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Millipedes feed on dead leaves and other decaying plant matter.They will also eat tiny insects if they cant find any other food.Millipedes are preyed on by frogs,tortoises,hedgehogs,and birds.

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Therefore millipedes are very interesting animals that are hard to find but if you find them they are very interesting little creatures.I conclude that not only does the xystocheir dissecta glow under UV light but if you find one dont mess with it.

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Author: Austin H

Published:02/2012

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