“I found this under my bed when moving it. It was dried up and about 1-2 inches long”, states this reader about the blackish-brown organism pictured below. “Can you let me know what type of worm this is, if it is one?”
“Sorry for the dust in the picture. I originally threw it in the trash”, he continues. “I’m located in San Diego, CA, USA. I can take more pictures if needed. Thank you in advance.”
Based on the picture, we would say that this is likely a millipede. We think this because of its size, black color, segmentation, and the brown lines on the underside of its body, which we think are its legs.
Millipedes are arthropods, and not worms. They are known for their multitude of legs; their name translates from Latin to ‘million feet’, though this is clearly an exaggeration.
They are not to be confused with the centipede, which shares similar characteristics, but whose legs sprout from the sides of its body.
Unlike centipedes, millipedes are not hunters. They primarily eat decaying plant matter, and are beneficial to the environment. Additionally, they do not possess forcipules like centipedes do, and thus do not sting: they are completely harmless. The most they can do is secrete a fluid which may cause light irritation if one makes contact with it. But usually, a millipede will simply curl up in a fetal position and play dead when it feels threatened.
That said, due to the fluid that they do secrete, we nonetheless recommend that anyone who finds a millipede, dead or alive, should it with caution. Wearing gardening gloves if making skin-to-skin contact, or scooping it up onto a dustpan before moving it outside, is a good idea.
As millipedes prefer damp, cool environments, they will dry up and die in places that do not match that description. This explains the state it was in when our reader found it.
Although it is unfortunate that this millipede died in this way, it shows that our reader’s home is warm and dry, and he should keep it that way, as it deters most organisms from wanting to enter one’s home. This millipede probably ended up here by accident, or perhaps our reader’s home was cooler or damper at the time it made its way into his home.
To conclude, we think that the black worm-like creature our reader found is a millipede. They are harmless to humans, and beneficial to the environment, so if our reader finds any live ones, he should just move them outside and not kill them. We hope this article answers his question and we wish him the best!
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