Giant African millipede crawls across log like a 'mini Mexican wave'

2020-06-10 7

Close-up footage shows a giant African millipede crawl across a log with its hundreds of legs.

Wildlife photographer and filmer of this video Ian Redmond told Newsflare: "There is something quite mesmerising about the movement of millipede legs - like a mini Mexican wave in a stadium, it is known as a metachronal rhythm, and has a strange flowing beauty.

"Millipedes are detritivores, feeding on decaying plant matter; they play an important role in the ecological processes that keep forests healthy, their droppings providing nutrients for growing trees.

"When attacked they coil up and wait - and if further provoked, they exude a noxious fluid that effectively deters many predators.

"Even ants leave them alone - as indicated by the ant in the video rushing in the opposite direction."

This footage was filmed in Virunga National Park​, Congo in 2010

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