KENYA: The Mombassa Train

African Giant Millipedes are known locally as Mombassa Trains, after their locomotion movement, as opposed to their speed. Though not having had the experience of traveling by train in East Africa, I can not vouch for that for certainty.

These millipedes are very common along the coast and we would come across many, either on the grounds of our lodgings, mainly at night, or while out birding in the Arabuko-Sokoke forest. There are two kinds, red-legged and brown-legged, and both spend a great deal of time in moist shaded areas amongst the leaf litter feeding on decaying plant matter - nature composters.

Millipede means ‘a thousand legs’ but in reality they have far fewer - two pairs of legs on each of their 60 body segments. Believed to be the world's largest millipede, they can reach a length of 12 inches, and though harmless, they do have several self defense mechanisms. When touched they will curl themselves up into a tight spiral, and if they still feel threatened they secrete a noxious liquid, which most creatures find unpalatable - with the exception of the African Civet.

A confiding seven-inch red-legged millipede takes on the look of a colorful bracelet

By contrast, the carnivorous Centipede, meaning ‘a hundred legs‘, has only a pair of legs on each of their segments. In spite of their name they can have several hundred legs - more than the ‘thousand-legged’ variety!

photo © adrian binns