Millipede vs Centipede: They’ve Got Legs & Know How to Use Them

Seeing a long, leggy creature saunter across your floor can elicit the great millipede vs centipede debate: Did you see a millipede? Did you see a centipede? Or was it just a group of ants carrying a spaghetti noodle? While they look similar, these creatures exhibit distinct characteristics and innate behaviors.

Millipedes have more rounded bodies with two pairs of legs on most of their segments; they come in a spectrum of colors, with tropical species typically brighter than what you’ll find in New Jersey. They move slowly and methodically and stop, drop, and roll into balls when disturbed.  

Centipedes have flatter bodies with one pair of legs per body segment. They come in various hues, though those found in homes are often yellow, grey, or brown. They are fast runners (about 10 to 20 times faster than millipedes) with fast reflexes and strong instincts. 

Millipedes and centipedes are related but not as closely as you might assume. They’re considered distant relatives, belonging to different classes of arthropods. Millipedes (belonging to the Diplopoda class) are the more passive of the two; they’re decomposers that feed on dead leaves, decaying roots, compost, mulch, fungi, mold, and moss.

Centipedes (belonging to the Chilopoda class) are hunters, feeding on a variety of insects; some of the world’s biggest centipedes, found in the Amazon, Africa, Southwest Asia, the Southwest US, and other parts of the world, have more exquisite tastes, feeding on toads, lizards, and mice.