Millipede Madness

[SadieKate]

Are the millipedes poisonous?

Only centipedes, and then only mildly.

Editing: actually millipedes are poisonous if you eat them. I think I'll pass.

You should read Bill Bryson's In a Sunburned Country. He had pretty much the same reaction to Australia's flora and fauna as you do (and I would).

Put this on your itinerary for your next trip down under: Australian Venom Zoo.

[jobob]

hundreds of legs: poisonous

thousands of legs: not poisonous. Unless you eat them.

check.

[Trekhawk]

Only centipedes, and then only mildly.

Editing: actually millipedes are poisonous if you eat them. I think I'll pass.

I will pass too although I do have enough around to feed a family of five for a year.

[Jolt]

In college, one of the dorms (Riley Hall) had these really long-legged, fast-moving brownish centipedes that we all called "Riley bugs". They had a tendency to creep people out--one time this girl on my floor suddenly let out this blood-curdling scream and when everyone else on the floor ran to investigate it turned out that she had just seen a rather large specimen scurry past her feet. Sorry I don't have a picture, but if you google "house centipede", which is what these bugs really were, you'll find plenty. Apparently they're actually beneficial--they eat other bugs like cockroach larvae and other pests. Even so, it's pretty darn hard to get past the ick factor!!!