Those who have written scripts for horror movies surely have gathered some of the needed inspiration from the real world. Scientists have discovered a new creature that has the potential of scaring the alpha male out of our readers.
According to BGR.com, scientists are proud to present Eumillipes Persephone, a bug discovered in Australia. We’re talking about a species of millipede of the family Siphonotidae that has more than 1,300 legs. 1306, to be more precise! The name was given after the Greek queen of the underworld, Persephone.
The animal with the most legs ever found!
Eumillipes Persephone is now the animal recognized as having the highest number of legs. The creature was found by the researchers in the resource-rich region of Goldfields-Esperance, which is located in Western Australia.
Millipedes, in general, are frightening enough. These creatures represent a group of arthropods that feature two points of jointed legs on most of the segments of their bodies. Although millipedes aren’t poisonous, some species have glands that have the property of producing fluids that will cause irritation. Therefore, this will lead to allergic reactions for some people.
If you touch a millipede, here’s what Healthline.com recommends you to do:
Millipede toxin can cause blisters and burns. Wash your skin right away, even if you don’t think a millipede has emitted any liquid onto your skin. This can help prevent a possible allergic reaction. If you develop blisters as a result of handling millipedes, wash your skin with lukewarm water and regular soap.
Let’s just hope that none of us will come in contact with millipedes! We respect all creatures of God, but some of them can be harmful to humans.
The new study about Eumillipes Persephone was published in Scientific Reports.
Let’s all be thankful that bugs didn’t evolve in larger sizes than they had already!
