MILLIPEDE UNDER THE MICROSCOPE
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This is a coloured scanning electron microscope image of a male millipede (Diplopoda). There are around 10,000 species of millipede worldwide, including 50 species in Britain. Millipedes use their antennae to navigate by tapping the ground. They’re also coated with hair-like cells that detect odours as part of the insects’ olfactory system. This helps them to ‘sniff’ out food, such as decomposing plants or fungi. Millipedes also come equipped with a group of hairs on the second or third pair of their legs that they use to brush and clean their antennae.