Mtunzini Fun Fact: The Giant Millipede by Office | Nov 23, 2020 | Uncategorized Mtunzini Fun Fact: The giant pill-millipede is the largest species of pill-millipede that occurs in South Africa. Its total length when unrolled and walking can be as long as 5 cm, and when rolled up, the giant pill-millipede can be as large as a ping-pong ball. The body is short, stout and composed of 11–13 segments and each segment has two pairs of legs. It has one pair of antennae and a pair of kidney-shaped eyes. The body segments are specifically designed to be able to completely encase the millipede when it rolls itself up into tight ball. It is ground dwelling and occurs in moist habitats under leaf litter on the forest floor and under trees. It is widely distributed in South Africa with records from the higher-altitude, forested parts of Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape. Currently, pill-millipedes in South Africa are not formally protected and they may be vulnerable to habitat loss and degradation, as well as overexploitation for use in traditional medicine. Just when you thought you seen it all….Here comes nature….