What are those little millipedes?
I am not a trained entomologist (or even an untrained one) and therefore I often make mistakes when identifying the little creatures that inhabit our world. This is one of those that I have most often misidentified.
In the past I have misidentified this as a centipede, but it is in fact a millipede. The easiest way to tell the difference between a millipede and a centipede is a millipede has two legs per body segment while a centipede has one.
Millipedes are generally harmless, though there are several varieties that excrete cyanide as a defensive mechanism. Still, to my knowledge there aren’t any millipedes out there that can kill out unless you eat one, which I don’t find very tempting.
There particular ones are very common here around Seattle. I have seen them in a variety of places – from the ponds next to where I work to my backyard. Recently, I finally took the time to figure out what they are.