How to Draw a Millipede

In this quick tutorial you'll learn how to draw a Millipede in 4 easy steps - great for kids and novice artists.

The images above represent how your finished drawing is going to look and the steps involved.

Below are the individual steps - you can click on each one for a High Resolution printable PDF version.

At the bottom you can read some interesting facts about the Millipede.

Make sure you also check out any of the hundreds of drawing tutorials grouped by category.

How to Draw a Millipede - Step-by-Step Tutorial

Step 1: Millipedes are long insects that look a bit like crawling worms. To start, making a long, curving tube to make the millipede's body. It should have a rounded curving head and tail.

Step 2: Millipedes have many small segments that make up their body. Sometimes they have as few as 25, sometimes as many as 100. Draw a lot of lines to make the body segments on your Millipede.

Step 3: The name 'millipede' means 1,000 legs, but no Millipede actually has that many. They can have as few as 35, and as many as 400 legs. Draw many small lines at the bottom of your Millipede to give it legs!

Step 4: Millipedes are mostly active at night, so they get around by smelling the air and ground around them. They do this using their antenna on the end of their heads! Put two curving lines at one end of your Millipede to help him get around at night! And there you have it, you have your Millipede! Did you know that Millipedes can curl themselves up into a ball to protect themselves from predators?

Interesting Facts about Millipedes

Millipedes are arthropods, which are animals that do not have spines. All arthropods have segmented bodies and jointed appendages. There are at least 10,000 species of millipedes, and they can be found almost everywhere around the world.

Did You Know?

  • Millipedes breathe through holes that are located on their body segments. They have 25 to 100 segments.
  • Millipedes have one pair of legs for every body segment.
  • Millipedes look a lot like worms. Similar to worms, they are slow-moving.
  • The average length of millipedes is less than one-tenth of an inch to about 9 inches.
  • The word millipede suggests that they have 1,000 legs, but that is not true. They have up to 400 legs, and at least 35.
  • To guard themselves from predators such as birds, millipedes curl up into a ball.
  • Many millipede species are poisonous, and they secrete their poison when attacked. The poison irritates their predators.
  • Millipedes usually eat decaying plants.
  • Millipedes are most active at night.

Millipedes generally live in cool, dark, and damp areas. If you go on a hiking trail, you might find millipedes resting under rocks or logs. They can be found in the soil of your family’s garden.

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