This is an 14 cm long and about 1 cm diameter wise millipede,found in my home.millipedes are arthropods that have two pairs of legs per body segment,except the first segment behind the head.They are said to have thousand legs as according to the latin meaning of the word "milli" which means "thousand", but they commonly have between 36 & 400 legs.they are slow moving and strive on dead and decaying plant matter.length from 2 to 280 mm and are generally black or brown in color.According to Guinness World Records the African giant black millipede can grow to 38.6 centimetres.A few species are omnivorous or carnivorous, and may prey on small arthropods, such as insects and centipedes, or on earthworms.
Due to their lack of speed and their inability to bite or sting, millipedes' primary defense mechanism is to curl into a tight coil — protecting their delicate legs inside an armored body exterior. Many species also emit poisonous liquid secretions or hydrogen cyanide gas through microscopic pores Some of these substances are caustic and can burn the exoskeleton of ants and other insect predators, and the skin and eyes of larger predators. Animals such as Capuchin monkeys have been observed intentionally irritating millipedes in order to rub the chemicals on themselves to repel mosquitoes
As far as humans are concerned, this chemical brew is fairly harmless, usually causing only minor effects on the skin, the main effect being discoloration, but other effects may also include pain, itching, local erythema, edema, blisters, eczema, and occasionally cracked skin
