How many legs does a centipede have: who counted the uncounted
The centipede is a frequent visitor to plots, houses and apartments. They look intimidating, people are often scared when they meet these insects. And the unusual name suggests the number of legs.
Content
Who is a centipede
Centipedes or centipedes are a superclass of invertebrates in which each section of the body has legs with claws. They are predators with a high appetite, the first pair of legs is reduced.
Types and sizes
Kivsyak.
There are different representatives of the centipede family, from 2 mm to 30 cm long. The body can be segmented in pairs and have from 15 to 170 segments.
The remains of the largest invertebrate were found, the length of which reached more than 2,5 meters. But he lived more than 300 million years ago.
Interestingly, from English, the translation of the name of this type of animal sounds literally like a millipede. And the centipede is a common name, the official name of the superclass is centipedes.
How many legs does a centipede have
The answer is one and the most important - not forty! In the course of the studies carried out, an insect with forty legs and even forty pairs has not been noted even once.
Flycatcher common.
The number of legs depends directly on the type and size of the animal. The only case when centipedes were found, which is similar to the name, happened at the beginning of the 96s at a UK university. That one had 48 legs, and these are XNUMX pairs.
Otherwise, in all types of centipedes, the number of pairs of legs is always odd. The answer to the question why this is so has not yet been found. The number of pairs of limbs reaches 450 in the largest species.
Record holder
There is one species of centipede Illacme_tobini that lives in the caves of the Sequoia Park, USA, which set a record in the number of legs. The found males had from 414 to 450 legs. At the same time, females are much larger - up to 750 pairs.
centipede legs
Bright Millipede.
Most centipedes have an amazing ability to regenerate. If they lose part of the limbs, then over time they will recover.
The claws are dense and tenacious, but not enough to pierce human skin. But centipedes can hold several victims with all of them and even carry them.
Interestingly, the limbs that are located closer to the end of the body are longer. So centipedes can avoid tripping over themselves when running fast
Conclusion
Representatives of the superclass centipedes are called centipedes only among the people. Those who have exactly 40 legs did not meet. Apparently it is taken as an adverb and an indicator of a large number, and not as an exact count.
The figure that shows the number of limbs is always different, directly depends on the type of centipede itself. But it is always unpaired - such a paradox.
