Millipedes: Diplopoda

Millipedes are found on all continents except Antarctica. Because they move so slowly on their own, most millipedes have small distributions. However, because many species are burrowers, they have been transported by humans throughout the world in soil and with plants. In fact, half of the species that are native to Britain have been introduced to North America this way. There are about seven thousand species of millipedes worldwide, with about fourteen hundred species in the United States and Canada.