SDCPs
Arachnolord
- Joined
- Feb 8, 2012
- Messages
- 659
Today I was lucky enough to witness some rarely-seen aggressive behavior between 2 of my A. gigas millipedes. I still can't get over the shock/awe of it.
In the 50 gallon aquarium I am keeping them in, I have a black plastic lid from a rubbermaid container which I place food on to keep it from contaminating the substrate. I recently discovered that one of my 3 giant millipedes had made her home beneath it. In fact, I held this particular millipede last night.
Now nicknamed "the bunker," this cave, dug out beneath the feeding tray, was the scene of the dispute:
I was working in the room with the aquarium at around 12:40 when I happened to glance over at the food tray. To my utter shock, since the millipedes had been in hiding for several days, a head appeared from the opening of "the bunker" with furiously waving antennae and rapidly moving legs. Since the bunker is close to the glass, the millipede reared up on the glass, but realizing she wasn't going anywhere, she commenced to flee to the right, at top speed. The jet black body undulated rapidly, reminding me of a tank plowing over rough terrain. Through the vehement action of her body, the entrance to "the bunker," before as obscure as the entrance to a Vietnamese tunnel, broadened considerably. Even with the heavy log above it, she vertically displaced the plastic tray, creating the illusion of an earthquake created by a mighty jungle monster. As she was 3/4 of the way out, a second black form appeared. I was struck with horror: was my millipede in two pieces?
But no, this form sported antennae also. Ironically, having succeeded in forcing the former inhabitant out, her head endured some thrashing punishment from the tail of the desperate retreating myriapod. With the former millipede a distance away, this second animal slightly emerged from the obscure darkness of the "bunker," then slowly backed in. A minute or two later, her head appeared again, only to once again plunge into the darkness of the "bunker."
As to the former millipede, the intrusion induced has induced a state of depression, and she has been slowly wandering about the opposite side of her enclosure with head held downwards.
I did not see what happened inside the "bunker," and I do not know how the second millipede entered (through the front or by tunneling under the chamber) or why the first fled in such a panic. But from ought I can conclude, the larger of my two females stole the burrow of the smaller, A burrow I had just seen the fleeing millipede in complete possession of the night before.
In the 50 gallon aquarium I am keeping them in, I have a black plastic lid from a rubbermaid container which I place food on to keep it from contaminating the substrate. I recently discovered that one of my 3 giant millipedes had made her home beneath it. In fact, I held this particular millipede last night.
Now nicknamed "the bunker," this cave, dug out beneath the feeding tray, was the scene of the dispute:
I was working in the room with the aquarium at around 12:40 when I happened to glance over at the food tray. To my utter shock, since the millipedes had been in hiding for several days, a head appeared from the opening of "the bunker" with furiously waving antennae and rapidly moving legs. Since the bunker is close to the glass, the millipede reared up on the glass, but realizing she wasn't going anywhere, she commenced to flee to the right, at top speed. The jet black body undulated rapidly, reminding me of a tank plowing over rough terrain. Through the vehement action of her body, the entrance to "the bunker," before as obscure as the entrance to a Vietnamese tunnel, broadened considerably. Even with the heavy log above it, she vertically displaced the plastic tray, creating the illusion of an earthquake created by a mighty jungle monster. As she was 3/4 of the way out, a second black form appeared. I was struck with horror: was my millipede in two pieces?
But no, this form sported antennae also. Ironically, having succeeded in forcing the former inhabitant out, her head endured some thrashing punishment from the tail of the desperate retreating myriapod. With the former millipede a distance away, this second animal slightly emerged from the obscure darkness of the "bunker," then slowly backed in. A minute or two later, her head appeared again, only to once again plunge into the darkness of the "bunker."
As to the former millipede, the intrusion induced has induced a state of depression, and she has been slowly wandering about the opposite side of her enclosure with head held downwards.
I did not see what happened inside the "bunker," and I do not know how the second millipede entered (through the front or by tunneling under the chamber) or why the first fled in such a panic. But from ought I can conclude, the larger of my two females stole the burrow of the smaller, A burrow I had just seen the fleeing millipede in complete possession of the night before.
