Glass climbing millipede?

NiGHTS

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
Jun 30, 2005
Messages
194
OK, I've got a Texas Millipede (South Texas variety - aka desert millipede, aka Orthoporus sp.) who has developed a neat little trick. Somehow, he is able to climb aquarium glass! He can't get that high up, but I've seen him suspended about 2 - 3 inches above the substrate, just hanging on to the side of the aquarium somehow. After several failed attempts, I finally got a picture of him doing it. Please excuse the low quality of the image and reflection off the glass. ...and just to clarify, the red thing that appears to be under him is a piece of watermelon, located several inches behind him, in the background.

I've never seen any of my other pedes do this before (the other ones can climb up the aquarium sealant in the corners, but not the glass itself). So I was wondering, has anyone else has seen their pedes doing this? :?
 

Attachments

Crunchie

Arachnoangel
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 1, 2004
Messages
852
I've never seen any of mine climbing the glass but I have the substrate pretty close to the tank lid and they can usually stretch up from the bits of wood I have in there if they wanted.

What a smart little millipede heh :D
 

arizona

Arachnosquire
Old Timer
Joined
Sep 23, 2004
Messages
53
One of my Giant blacks climbs up the glass alot.
 

NiGHTS

Arachnoknight
Old Timer
Joined
Jun 30, 2005
Messages
194
Oh great! I was starting to think I had a freak-a-pede. I would love to see a full grown AGB doing this little trick. It's impressive enough to see a desert milli doing it. He seems to like climbing up the glass and forming a circle shape with his body. Maybe it enables him to stay suspended longer?
 

arizona

Arachnosquire
Old Timer
Joined
Sep 23, 2004
Messages
53
My AGB is about 6" and he also does a C and S shape on the glass.
 

cacoseraph

ArachnoGod
Old Timer
Joined
Jan 5, 2005
Messages
8,325
i kept a bunch of little local varieties and most of them would walk up little imperfections or deposits of dirt/debris/rotting vegetation on the sides of the tank

as far as i can recall, i don't believe myriapoda have the equipement to glasswalk, but i have to admit to reading more about toxicology and sex stuff =P
 

Mr. Mordax

Arachnoking
Old Timer
Joined
Oct 22, 2006
Messages
2,301
My AGBs can't glass-climb (they're in a plastic terrarium, anyway), but I've noticed them acting kind of weird on occasion. The picture is one of my females trying to climb the side of the tank. She's not truly climbing it since her last inch or so is on the substrate, but it's weird nonetheless. :? I've seen my male doing the same thing lately. Maybe they want a bigger setup? On a side-note, when I've seen my male doing this, he has an inch or less of his body on the ground.
 

Attachments

Mr. Mordax

Arachnoking
Old Timer
Joined
Oct 22, 2006
Messages
2,301
got phasmids?
Yep! Cramped space in the dorms (my RA was the only person in the building who didn't know about my hobby :D), so I had a slightly communal tank. My phasmids are now in their own 30-gallon. Hooray for apartments!
 
Top