icon bookmark-bicon bookmarkicon cameraicon checkicon chevron downicon chevron lefticon chevron righticon chevron upicon closeicon v-compressicon downloadicon editicon v-expandicon fbicon fileicon filtericon flag ruicon full chevron downicon full chevron lefticon full chevron righticon full chevron upicon gpicon insicon mailicon moveicon-musicicon mutedicon nomutedicon okicon v-pauseicon v-playicon searchicon shareicon sign inicon sign upicon stepbackicon stepforicon swipe downicon tagicon tagsicon tgicon trashicon twicon vkicon yticon wticon fm
24 Oct, 2016 17:43

Newly-discovered bug boasts 4 penises, 200 poison glands & 414 legs (VIDEO)

Newly-discovered bug boasts 4 penises, 200 poison glands & 414 legs (VIDEO)

Explorers in California have discovered a new species of creepy crawly boasting 200 poison glands, four penises and 414 legs.

The ‘illacme tobini’ is a type of millipede and was found living in marble caves in Sequoia National Park high in the Sierra Nevada mountains.

Despite what the name suggests, millipedes do not possess 1,000 legs – in fact the world’s leggiest creature, illacme plenipes, has just the 750. First seen in 1928, it can be found under sandstone boulders near Silicon Valley.

“I never would have expected that a second species of the leggiest animal on the planet would be discovered in a cave 150 miles away," said Assistant Professor in the Entomology Department at Virginia Tech Paul Marek, an expert in all things millipedes.

Illacme tobini, like its leggier cousin, can produce silk but it’s the ability to transform four of its legs into penises which will impress many. Glands which squirt a chemical poison are designed to scare off predators.

The Illacme tobini was discovered by cave biologist Dr Jean Krejca, who has also documented new species of spiders, pseudoscorpions and flies.

According to a research paper on the new discovery published in ZooKeys journal, “due to the sensitivity of its cave habitat, locality details are withheld” - so there’s no chance for you to collect one of these critters to keep just yet.

Podcasts
0:00
25:36
0:00
25:12