News - Scientists discover giant millipede that was thought to be extinct

Scientists have discovered a giant millipede in Madagascar, which was considered extinct for more than a century, reports Bild. Sixteen scientists spent three weeks in Madagascar's Makira Natural Park, looking for 30 species of animals, fish, and insects that are considered extinct. The Re:wild periodical explains that the species that these scientists wanted to identify have not been encountered for at least ten years. Madagascar is a biodiversity hotspot, and Makira is an under-explored area of the country, so they decided to test a new model for finding lost species, says Christina Biggs, lost species officer for Re:wild. The most exciting discovery of these scientists was that of the millipede Spirostreptus sculptus; in Madagascar, its size reaches 27 centimeters. It was discovered by Dmitry Telnov, a beetle specialist with the Natural History Museum in London. The millipedes fed on plants, possibly the remains of fungi, Telnov said, adding that he took a picture of one and thought it looked familiar because it was so big. After these photographs taken were examined by Telnov's colleagues, they concluded that this was the same millipede that was last documented in 1897. This is an amazing discovery because it turns out that this species is not extinct and is still found in primary tropical forests, Telnov said.