Ben here with the Thursday edition of #BenInNature presented by our friends at Carter Bank & ...

March 4, 2021

Ben here with the Thursday edition of #BenInNature presented by our friends at Carter Bank & Trust!

This week, we're looking at some of my favorite never-before-seen photos of critters we've looked at previously. Today's photo: the millipede Apheloria virginiensis virginiensis!

I found this particular millipede several months ago. It had somehow stranded itself on a rock in the middle of a creek. After taking a few photos, I placed it back on dry land to resume its millipede duties (which mainly consist of eating leaf litter).

If you spend a lot of time in the woods in southwest Virginia, you've probably seen several of these little guys; their brilliant yellow coloration makes them difficult to miss. Their color scheme is an example of "aposematism," which is when animals have bright, contrasting colors to advertise to predators that they're not worth messing with. These millipedes have the firepower to back it up, too, because they can exude hydrogen cyanide! If you've ever handled one of these millipedes, you might notice that it smells like toasted almonds; that's the delicious scent of cyanide!

Fortunately, the amount of cyanide produced by a single millipede won't seriously harm a human, although it can cause blisters if you have sensitive skin. If you happen to be a bird or a rodent, however, it's best to steer clear; some Appalachian millipedes can produce enough hydrogen cyanide to kill a pigeon 18 times over!

ABOUT #BenInNature
Social distancing can be difficult, but it presents a great opportunity to become reacquainted with nature. In this series of posts, Administrator of Science Ben Williams ventures outdoors to record a snapshot of the unique sights that can be found in the natural world. New updates are posted Monday - Friday, with previous posts highlighted on the weekends. This series of posts is made possible thanks to the support of VMNH Corporate Partner Carter Bank & Trust (www.cbtcares.com)

NATURE PHOTO IDENTIFICATIONS
If you discover something in nature that you would like help identifying, be sure to message us right here on Facebook with a picture (please include location and date of picture) and we'll have our experts help you identify it!