Spiral fern Madagascar Biodiversity and Conservation  
 Essay sections:   

Home

Search

About

Contact

Copyright

Help

Traveling Exhibit

Biographies in biodiversity

Red millipede
Red millipede
Click image for enlargement

This large (6-inch), brightly colored millipede advertises danger. Its chemical defenses may include distasteful quinones and hydrogen cyanide. Some lemurs overcome this defense: Rolling a captured millipede in its hands, the lemur gets the millipede to release its toxic load. Wiping off the distasteful material with its own tail, the lemur eats the millipede.

Previous  Next
Contents:
1.Plants
2.Millipedes
 ·Red millipede
 ·Orange pill millipede
 ·Pill millipede on its back
 ·Pill millipede in hand

3.Frogs
4.Tortoises
5.Snakes
6.Iguanid Lizards
7.Chameleons
8.Birds
9.Lemurs
10.Carnivores
11.Rodents
 
Golden Mantella, Mantella aurantiaca

 © Copyright 1996-2001 David R. Parks and the Missouri Botanical Garden. Link to Exploratorium