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- Appearance
- The majority of millipedes are brown or black, but a few species are orange or red. Their size ranges from 5/8 to 4 1/2 inches. Most species of the millipede family are long and round but a few have a flattened appearance with 30 to 90+ pairs of legs.
- Habit
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Normally found outdoors, the millipede requires large amounts of moisture. They can be found under trash, grass clippings, mulch, leaf piles, etc. If rising water invades their home, they will seek shelter indoors, sometimes in large numbers. Drought can also cause millipedes to seek shelter, in hopes of finding moisture.
- Diet
- Millipedes are scavengers, feeding on decaying matter.
- Reproduction
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Females lay between 20 to 300 eggs in a nest in the soil. They hatch after several weeks, and then go through 7 to 10 molts, during each molt the number of body segments and legs increase. Many of the species reach sexual maturity in two years, while others take four of five years.
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