# Flat-Backed Millipedes (*polydesmida*)

Flat-Backed Millipedes are fascinating creatures that love to curl up in tight spaces. They have many tiny legs that help them move around quickly in their habitats!

- **Category:** [Invertebrate](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/invertebrate)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 0/5 · No known danger
- **Habitat:** They live in damp forests, gardens, and under leaf litter.
- **Also known as:** Flat Millipede, Garden Millipede, Wood Millipede

![Flat-Backed Millipedes](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Harpaphe_haydeniana_001.jpg&width=800)

Photo: No machine-readable author provided. Folini assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY 2.5 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Harpaphe_haydeniana_001.jpg)

## Appearance

The Flat-Backed Millipedes has a distinctly flattened body, giving it a broad, ribbon-like appearance. They often display drab colors like brown or black, sometimes with striking yellow or orange markings along their sides. This flat shape helps them squeeze into narrow crevices.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Animalia
- **Phylum:** Arthropoda
- **Class:** Diplopoda
- **Order:** Polydesmida
- **Family:** Polydesmidae

## Interesting facts

- Baby millipedes are born with only a few legs, growing more with each time they shed their skin.
- Flat-backed millipedes have a special breathing pore on almost every body segment.
- Some Flat-Backed Millipedes can glow in the dark, lighting up the forest floor at night!
- Their bright yellow or orange markings often warn predators that they taste very bad!

## Special abilities

- **Chemical Shield:** Flat-Backed Millipedes can release foul-smelling or toxic chemicals because of glands on their sides that deter predators.
- **Armored Segments:** Flat-Backed Millipedes have tough, overlapping segments that help them protect their soft underside from attacks.
- **Crevice Crawler:** Flat-Backed Millipedes has a low-profile body that helps them squeeze into tight spaces under bark and rocks for safety.

## Measurements & details

- **Length:** 10-120 mm
- **Weight:** 50-5000 mg
- **Segment Count:** 19-30
- **Num Legs:** 40-200

## Diet & Feeding

These tiny clean-up crew members eat dead plants, helping return nutrients to the soil.

- **Primary Foods:** decaying leaves, rotting wood, fungi, decomposing plant matter
- **Foraging Method:** Foraging

## Ecological connections

- **Eaten by:** [Ground Beetle](https://www.snappit.app/explore/ground-beetle) (*Carabus nemoralis*) — Ground beetles are known predators of various invertebrates.
- **Eaten by:** Wood Ant (*Formica rufa*) — Some ant species prey on smaller invertebrates like millipedes.
- **Eaten by:** Torrent Frog (*Hylodes asper*) — Amphibians often feed on forest floor invertebrates.
- **Depends on:** Common Oak (*Quercus robur*) — Feeds on fallen leaves and decaying wood from oak trees.

## Traits

- [Burrowing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/burrowing): Burrowing animals dig tunnels and chambers in the ground, using these subterranean structures for shelter, hunting, or breeding.
- [Herbivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/herbivorous): This trait characterizes organisms whose diet consists entirely or primarily of plant material.
- [Decomposer](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/decomposer): Describes organisms that break down dead organic material, recycling nutrients back into the ecosystem.
- [Forest](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/forest): Forest habitats are terrestrial environments dominated by dense tree cover, supporting a high diversity of plant and animal life.
- [Nocturnal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/nocturnal): Nocturnal animals are primarily active during the nighttime hours, typically resting or sleeping during the day.

## Collections

- [Invertebrates](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/invertebrates)

## Safety

**Danger:** 0/5 · No known danger

Always wash your hands after touching any insects!

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Flat-Backed Millipedes?

Compare body symmetry, shells, segments, legs, tentacles and how the animal moves. Invertebrates span many unrelated groups, so start with body structure. Invertebrate Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How long is Flat-Backed Millipedes?

10-120 mm

### How much does Flat-Backed Millipedes weigh?

50-5000 mg

### What does Flat-Backed Millipedes eat?

These tiny clean-up crew members eat dead plants, helping return nutrients to the soil.

### Where is Flat-Backed Millipedes usually found?

They live in damp forests, gardens, and under leaf litter.

### How does Flat-Backed Millipedes hunt?

Foraging

### How many body segments does Flat-Backed Millipedes have?

19-30

### What is the num Legs of Flat-Backed Millipedes?

40-200

## Where to spot

- [Crooked Creek Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/crooked-creek-park) — Virginia, US · Park

## More Invertebrate

- [Coral](https://www.snappit.app/explore/coral)
- [Crab Spider](https://www.snappit.app/explore/crab-spider) (*Mecaphesa asperata*)
- [Garden Spider](https://www.snappit.app/explore/garden-spider) (*Araneus diadematus*)
- [Brown Recluse Spider](https://www.snappit.app/explore/brown-recluse-spider) (*Loxosceles reclusa*)

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Source: [Flat-Backed Millipedes: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/flat-backed-millipedes)