#4908 · 🪼 jellyfish, starfish, worms & co
Bristly Millipede
🇳🇱 Penseeltje ·Polyxenus lagurus
🪼 Jellyfish, starfish, worms & co 📍 in the Netherlands
📍 605 S 45th St, Boulder, CO, US
📍 Pennsylvania, US
📍 Altenhainer Straße, Brandis, Sachsen, DE
📍 Dorset, UK
📍 561 69 Dolní Morava-Králíky, Česko
📍 59670 Oxelaëre, France
10 photos from iNaturalist (Creative Commons) · credits & licences
- 1. © Paul Bowyer · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 2. © agujaceratops · CC BY 4.0
- 3. © Alexis Tinker-Tsavalas · CC BY 4.0
- 4. © Alexis Tinker-Tsavalas · CC BY 4.0
- 5. 605 S 45th St, Boulder, CO, US:© Jared Shorma · CC BY 4.0
- 6. Pennsylvania, US:© b_coulter · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 7. Altenhainer Straße, Brandis, Sachsen, DE:© Leif Moritz · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 8. Dorset, UK:© Wayne Sayers · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 9. 561 69 Dolní Morava-Králíky, Česko:© Filip Vyskočil · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 10. 59670 Oxelaëre, France:© Marie Lou Legrand · CC BY-NC 4.0
what is it?
Polyxenus lagurus , known as the bristly millipede is a species of millipede found in many areas of Europe and North America. It is covered with detachable bristles that have the ability to entangle ants and spiders that attack the animal.
base stats
Bars compare against all animals on log scales: up to 300,000 Dutch and 600,000 worldwide sightings (the most-seen species), 150 t (blue whale), 30 m and 400 years (Greenland shark).
fun facts
- Spotted 14 times in the Netherlands on iNaturalist.
- 3,835 observations worldwide on iNaturalist.
- Scientifically named in 1758 (268 years ago).
fact sheet
- English
- Bristly Millipede
- Nederlands
- Penseeltje
- scientific name
- Polyxenus lagurus
- class
- Diplopoda
- order
- Polyxenida
- family
- Polyxenidae
- sightings in NL
- 14
- sightings in Europe
- 2,023
- sightings worldwide
- 3,835
- GBIF records in NL
- 259
- weight
- —
- length
- —
- lifespan
- —
- named
- 1758
Sources: iNaturalist taxon 133872, Wikidata Q9347222, GBIF 4985727, Wikipedia (EN), Wikipedia (NL). Intro text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.