For years, we’ve been calling millipedes by the wrong name. The name is from the Latin words mille, which means “thousand,” and pes, meaning “foot.” But the most legs ever counted on a millipede was 750—until now.
Scientists in southwestern Australia discovered the first true millipede. It has 1,306 legs, more than any known creature on Earth. The new species was discovered nearly 200 feet underground. How did it get down that far?
“Its many legs work together to propel the body and force open small holes in the soil,” says Paul Marek, the scientist who counted the insect’s legs.