Giant millipede

Not all millipedes are the same. To date, over 16,000 species have been described worldwide. However, it is assumed that many more exist. The species we keep at Zurich Zoo has not yet been described. This means that this giant millipede cannot be assigned to any known species. Therefore, not much is known about this species. The only thing that is known about it is that it belongs to the genus Sechelleptus, is found in Madagascar and - at least at the zoo - likes to eat cucumber.
The first species of the genus Sechelleptus was described in 1835. This millipede was found in the Seychelles - hence the name. Until 1992, it was assumed that it was a monotypic genus, i.e. a genus containing only this one species. In 1992, a group of researchers discovered the close relationship of this species to millipedes on Madagascar and later species of this genus were also found on the African mainland.
The identification of these small animals is not easy and new species are constantly being discovered. As new knowledge is gained, the classification of the relationships between the different species of millipedes is constantly changing. This is therefore not a closed process, but must be constantly revised.
This example illustrates how crucial the protection of habitats is. This is the only way we can prevent animal species from becoming extinct before we have even discovered them.

Distribution