Fun thread - Millipedes vs Centipedes!

[Staehilomyces]

Just thought I'd start a nice discussion to see what kind of many-legged friend appeals to each member in our community.

Predictably, my vote goes to centipedes, for several reasons.
First, there's the usual: amazing predatory behavior and explosive kills. However, the principal reasons in my choice were rather different. I had a rather complicated "relationship" with centipedes; in my childhood, I was ambivalent about most inverts, but hated centipedes. It was my progressive appreciation of them that was one of the main drives behind the development of my love for inverts, and nature in general. Also, I just love their formidable size and appearance; a big pede is really a sight to behold, not to mention, their colors can be amazing.
Then, of course, there's maintenance. For me, centipedes have always been more forgiving of neglect and errors in husbandry than millipedes, and their adaptability has encouraged me to experiment with their setups instead of sticking to the conventional box of peat. Nevertheless, the idea of raising a millipede colony is an alluring one.
Finally, and some may say predictably, there's what I get from handling them. Naturally, this is something I would discourage, or perhaps more realistically, highlight the risks associated with the activity, but I've always enjoyed working with my centipedes, and watching them transition from bitey killing machines into majestic, gentle creatures right before my eyes.

So, that's my story. Centipedes come out on top for me, but I certainly wouldn't say no to adding a millipede colony to my collection - when I used to go to Bunya Mountains, I'd find blue-green millipedes under almost every log, and to this day I rue my decision not to take a small colony home into my care. Hopefully I get my hands on those again.

 

[LawnShrimp]

I keep both and honestly can't choose.

Diplopod pros: Millipedes immediately have the cute factor turned on; those little faces and eyes are just precious. They'll eat food in my hand and also sometimes chew on said hand (lovingly, I hope, or at least more so than a centipede in the same position). While they are not terribly intelligent animals, they are very entertaining and a joy to watch move about. They eat just about anything, only need rotten wood and leaves to thrive, and generally love being in captivity. They are also easy to breed and a handful of adults can increase their numbers by tenfold in a few years, so there is no shortage of color and cuteness.
Diplopod cons: Millipedes are neither intelligent nor interactive and can't really be tamed or socialized. They are also are prone to die-offs due to pests, pathogens, temperature, and lack of food. Babies can be infuriating as they cause all sorts of problems and care issues.

Chilopod pros: Centipedes are easy to care for and even wild-caught specimens have no care problems. They are usually voracious eaters and take just about any prey. Their temperaments, while generally somewhere around "kill, eat, run like mad", vary from 'pede to 'pede, and they do seem to have their own personalities and quirks, among species and individuals. Centipedes also have beautiful colors (though most don't approach the intensity of millipedes) and also change colors during molts and premolts.
Chilopod cons: Besides the obvious venom factor, centipedes are very inquisitive and will escape if the opportunity presents itself. Their speed, while entertaining in captivity, makes them terrors when they get loose or when you encounter a wild specimen. They are also difficult to sex and breed, and females often eat their clutches. Occasionally, a centipede will just act weird, and it freaks me out when they do something I think could be harmful.

How about a compromise? Edentistoma! It doesn't act like a centipede, and eats millipedes, so there you go, both sides unhappy. Just kidding; I'd love one of those weird things.

 

[RTTB]

Centipedes have the predator factor and easier to keep in my experience.

 

[Dennis Nedry]

I love them both for their own reasons. I've had millipedes pop up in my centipede enclosure before (probably because I just sort of dumped some leaf litter in the enclosure without treating it) and they seem to live peacefully. Centipedes because of the predatory factor and millipedes because they're downright adorable

 

[LawnShrimp]

how can you resist this face

 

[mickiem]

how can you resist this face

Obviously some of us can’t!

 

[Aquarimax]

I love both and keep both, for the same reasons already cited above by others.
At this point, I have dozens of millipedes and only one centipede, but ai hope to keep more of,both in the future.

 

[AvLteralice]

Millipedes!!!! Millipedes!! hahaha.. easy to spot their damp places in the wild and easy to capture unlike centipedes, you need experience to catch one(especially big ones), takes time to catch(poking some holes) and the bite... the bite is nasty. When me and my friend goes in a expedition to catch some we divide the loot. He collects/breed centipedes while I keep the millipedes.

 

[Staehilomyces]

Who can resist this face?

 

[basin79]

Centipedes all week long and twice on Sundays.

I have a Scolopendra hardwickei and Scolopendra viridicornis. Both beautiful inverts. There's something about watching them hunt. Watching them preen and clean themselves. How they move.

 

[7Fin]

Millipedes. >w>

While centipedes are beautiful hunters, millipedes bring home the bacon (or moreso, leaf litter) for me.

Cheaper, easy to keep, easy to handle, and with a HUGE variety of different colours, shapes, and sizes, and they have unmistakably adorable faces. Not only that, but they are the ULTIMATE collection invert. You can have loads of different species in the same vivarium with no problems whatsoever. A brilliant choice for beginners in the hobby, and an equally brilliant choice for everyone else.

But don't get me wrong, centipedes are amazing creatures. I saw a S. Dehanni at a con earlier and it was spectacular. Millipedes just win the most points for me overall. Easier to keep, cheaper, easier to breed, more variety, easier to handle etc. etc..

The only question for me is: Why doesn't everyone have either a millipede OR centipede?

 

[Staehilomyces]

I'm certainly looking forward to getting a millipede colony myself, but oh am I kicking myself for not grabbing a few of the blue/green ones I saw at Bunya Mountains.

 

[Chris LXXIX]

I'm not exactly the best person here for talk about millipedes so I could be damn wrong now, but what I have noticed (and IMO sucks a lot) is that those (millipedes) have, in general, a really quite short lifespan. This is a 'Cons', for me.

As far a care 'VS' care, well, I don't think that centipedes are hard to care for, at all. If possible, from what I know about millipedes, they are easy to keep than millipedes. Those last needs a lot of (real, if I'm not wrong?) leaves, and real dirt as substrate so stuff like coco fiber isn't suggested?

Centipedes are, obviously, the ultimate escape artists (plus the venom to consider, especially Asian ones) so I understand those issues can end in the care part, but very easy animals to keep, for me.

 

[7Fin]

I'm not exactly the best person here for talk about millipedes so I could be damn wrong now, but what I have noticed (and IMO sucks a lot) is that those (millipedes) have, in general, a really quite short lifespan. This is a 'Cons', for me.

The average lifespan is seven years for most species. Some live up to 15 years, which is longer than any centipede I know. However, to be fair, I have recently suffered the consequences of having a pede that lives only up to 3 years. One of my beloved chorizo sausages, Lester, passed away yesterday. He is now buried in the forest near my house.

 

[Chris LXXIX]

The average lifespan is seven years for most species. Some live up to 15 years, which is longer than any centipede I know. However, to be fair, I have recently suffered the consequences of having a pede that lives only up to 3 years. One of my beloved chorizo sausages, Lester, passed away yesterday. He is now buried in the forest near my house.

Well 15 years isn't bad at all! I know I was wrong (ain't an expert at all of millipedes) but didn't know that much wrong, lol.

I was under the impression that the average (year more, year less) millipede lifespan was 2/4 years max

Sorry for your loss, btw.

 

[Staehilomyces]

I heard of a Scolopendra balfouri that lived for at least 20 years, and it's common for well cared for pedes to live to a decade or more.

 

[Sarkhan42]

There's a different predatory intelligence to centipedes that just gets me, similar to how aware mantids can seem at times. Granted they're no mammals when it comes to intellect, but for an invert the way they behave and hunt is on another level.

 

[LawnShrimp]

I heard of a Scolopendra balfouri that lived for at least 20 years, and it's common for well cared for pedes to live to a decade or more.

What is balfouri? Is it that Socotran violet/chestnut/black thing? Because I want one. Tarantulas can outlive dogs. And some centipedes can now outlive tatantulas.

Sorry millipeople, I side with the centipedes on this one.

I like the sound of that: the age-old war between the centipeople and the millipeople has raged on through the eons.... until now.

Myriapodomachia: in theaters June 2019

 

[Staehilomyces]

Yeah, it's from Socotra. The name balfouri must have something to do with that place, as the tarantula M. balfouri is also from that island.

 

[Patherophis]

@Staehilomyces Yes, it does . Balfouri is grammatical form meaning "Balfour's", Isaac Bayley Balfour was botanist and leader of expedition to Socotra in 1880. Several socotran species are named after him, including lizard and bird.