Deep Look

Next Episode Sneak Peek - Millipedes vs. Beetles!

Added 2019-04-19 21:47:04 +0000 UTC

This millipede uses deadly cyanide gas to keep predators at bay. But one beetle can tolerate the toxic defense and rides the millipede like a bucking bronco. Who will win this showdown in the forest?

Across Northern California, as the rainy season is ending and spring is taking hold, bees are buzzing, flowers are growing and hikers are hitting the trails.

But down at ground level, the pastoral scenery is concealing a surprising battle: relentless chemical warfare between bugs.

More than 200 species of millipedes emerge from their underground lairs every year during the winter and early spring months to forage for food and seek mates.

They have to fend off insects, mammals, reptiles and amphibians looking for a tasty meal. But they have a secret weapon – an array of toxic chemicals they shoot from special glands. One Bay Area species, Xystocheir dissecta, carries deadly cyanide and benzaldehyde.

If they’re feeling threatened, these millipedes produce an invisible, odorless hydrogen cyanide gas that they spray at predators, and which is virtually toxic to all organisms. One byproduct is benzaldehyde, which gives off the scent of bitter almonds, as an additional signal that they’re secreting poison.

The millipedes don’t poison themselves, however. They’ve developed an immunity.

The cyanide can kill nearly any other animal trying to dine on the millipedes. Except one.

New research has found that one tough beetle is the only known predator in the world that can survive a direct blast of cyanide gas and keep going.

We hope you enjoy this first look at our newest episode. You can start sharing it with other science fans on Tuesday, April 23rd from YouTube. Thanks!