Centipedes vs. Millipedes

Here we have two bugs that people often get mixed up. I am here to clear the confusion! The first one (on your left) is a Centipede and the second one (on your right) is a Millipede. Next we will get into a detailed description of their differences.

Centipedes have long antennae, Millipedes have short ones. Centipedes are predatory and feed on other bugs, Millipedes are scavengers and feed on organic matter. Centipedes cannot roll into a ball, Millipedes can. Centipedes are fast runners, Millipedes are slow walkers. Centipedes have one pair of legs per body segment, Millipedes have two pairs per segment (except for the first three segments which have only one pair each). A Centipede's back legs trail behind the body, a Millipede's do not. Centipedes can bite and have a poison to paralyze their prey, Millipedes do not. Centipedes have a flattened body, Millipedes are more rounded. Hope that clears things up!


Sources:

http://insects.about.com/od/identifyaninsect/a/centiormilli.htm

http://lancaster.unl.edu/pest/resources/centipedemillipede012.shtml