The video: The world's leggiest creature has long been an enigma thought to be extinct. But now, scientists at the University of Arizona have released the first video of the millipede illacme plenipes, a tiny yet "strikingly complex" bug with a record-breaking 750 legs. This rare millipede, which lives exclusively under a particular type of sandstone boulder on the outskirts of Silicon Valley, has a translucent exoskeleton that produces its very own "clothing" in the form of silk body hairs. And thanks to its hundreds of legs, the inch-long bug can slither around in the dirt and burrow underground with astonishing ease. Take a look at this strange bug:
The reaction: "If, while watching this video, you thought of the classic arcade/cell phone/graphing calculator game Snake, you're not the only one," says Joseph Stromberg at Smithsonian. Indeed, the illacme plenipes "basically looks like a tiny thread," and only revealed itself to be incredibly complex under a microscope, says the study's lead author Paul Marek. "There's really nothing else like it in the Western Hemisphere."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Why is Prince William in Saudi Arabia?Today’s Big Question Government requested royal visit to boost trade and ties with Middle East powerhouse, but critics balk at kingdom’s human rights record
-
Wuthering Heights: ‘wildly fun’ reinvention of the classic novel lacks depthTalking Point Emerald Fennell splits the critics with her sizzling spin on Emily Brontë’s gothic tale
-
Why the Bangladesh election is one to watchThe Explainer Opposition party has claimed the void left by Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League but Islamist party could yet have a say
