Myrtle
Red legged millipede
Epibolus pulchripes
Born:
2016
East Africa
Native range:
My story:
Myrtle is a wonderfully inquisitive red-legged African millipede who loves exploring people’s hands and steadily climbing up their arms. There is no other sensation quite like hundreds of tiny feet rippling gently across your skin—and even after Myrtle has moved away, you can sometimes almost feel her ghostly little footsteps continuing along your arm!
At home, Myrtle lives with a large group of millipede friends and shares a miniature jungle with Bug the crested gecko. Their forest-floor habitat is filled with plants, deep leaf litter and sheltered spaces to explore. During the daytime, Myrtle can often be found resting in a tightly curled coil. Once night arrives, she uncurls and begins wandering through the jungle.
Myrtle and her companions are important members of the enclosure’s recycling team. They feed on fallen leaves, soft overripe fruit and vegetables, with banana being a particular favourite. They will even tuck into horse manure, which contains partly digested plant fibres and nutrients—making something that sounds thoroughly unpleasant into a millipede feast!
Did you know?
A millipede coordinates its enormous number of legs by moving them in carefully timed waves. Each pair begins its step a fraction of a second after the pair beside it, producing the beautiful rippling pattern that travels along the length of its body.
This is called a metachronal gait. Myrtle can alter the shape and strength of these waves depending on whether she is walking, climbing or pushing through soil. It is also what creates that unforgettable creeping sensation when hundreds of tiny feet travel across your skin!