No millipede actually has 1000 feet—but the species Illacme plenipes comes closest, with up to 750. Entomologist Paul Marek, who rediscovered the rare species a few years ago in California’s coastal mountains, calls counting legs and measuring millipedes a “guilty pleasure.”
Segment Guests
Paul E. Marek
Paul Marek is a research associate in the Department of Entomology at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona.
Meet the Producer
About Christopher Intagliata
@cintagliataChristopher Intagliata was Science Friday’s senior producer. He once served as a prop in an optical illusion and speaks passable Ira Flatowese.