A reader just wrote us and expressed disgust about a creature she found on her kitchen counter. She asked us to identify the specimen.

Here is the photo she sent us:

The picture is taken from a considerable distance, but there are still some notable features. The creature is brown, curled into a C-shape, and has many tiny legs that you can see if you zoom in. We believe this is a millipede!

Millipedes are most easily recognized by their legs, which they have two pairs of per segment! Millipedes are also known to curl themselves up as a defense mechanism, so its possible the millipede in the photo was doing just that!

Millipedes enjoy a dark, damp environment, so when they end up inside a house it is often by accident. This millipede might have snuck in through an open door or window, and then found its way to the kitchen.

To conclude, a reader came across a critter on her kitchen counter that grossed her out. We are confident that this was a millipede!

 

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