The Millipede is a slow moving arthropod that has many legs, in fact it has 2 pairs legs on each of it's many segments, except for a few at the front where it may only have one pair. You may get confused if you saw one and call it a Centipede, the main differences between them is that a Centipede moves much faster, and it only has one pair of legs on each segment. One common misconception is that they have a millions legs, usually this a lot lower, between 35 and 400, one species had up to 750 pairs of legs. Ones you find in your garden are usually about an inch or 30mm long thereabouts, however some species can grow to nearly a foot long.

Millipede's don't bite or sting, you still need to be careful should you ever pick one up, they can release a liquid that is caustic, this can be very harmful to smaller creatures that want to eat them. Better to leave them alone and watch from afar.

Millipede's are scavengers and a useful addition to any garden, they feed on decaying wood and leaves, if it's rotting they love it, just keep an eye on them if you have seedlings.

One interesting fact is they have a big heart, in fact it runs the full length of their body.

A short video showing a typical garden Millipede.