Dragon Millipede (Desmoxytes purpurosea). This shocking pink millipede is a newly discovered species found in the areas of Mekong River, Southeast Asia. Despite its beauty, this brightly colored millipede serves as a warning from other predators. The millipede has glands that produce a substance that is highly poisonous. It produces cyanide, substance that can cause internal asphyxia.
This substance interferes with the enzymes responsible for controlling the oxidation process, preventing the absorption of oxygen in red blood cells. Ingestion or inhalation of the substance can cause immediate unconsciousness, convulsions, and death to the victim within a minute or longer. Depending on the amount, at near lethal dose is absorbed through the skin, inhaled, swallowed or introduced to a break in the skin, symptoms will be: rapid respiration, gasping for breath, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, headache, tachycardia, flushing, fainting, and sudden drop of blood pressure.
The Dragon millipede got its name not from the ability to breath fire, rather from its physical features and bright colors and the ability to produce a substance like cyanide. This animal is small it only reaches approximately 3 centimeters but you might want to stay away from this animal, any mishandling might cause you to be lethally ill. In nature, displaying a bright colors serves as a warning to other predators, as a sign to stay away. In that case there is no predators try to make this animal as a meal. It is a part of their survival like others have its camouflage, trying to blend in at their surroundings, and this have a bad reputation killing its victim. There is no known natural predator of this species, unless that animal is immune to cyanide like substance. The species joins other twenty-three of other dragon millipedes of the genus Desmoxytes found in Southeast Asia, from Southeast China, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.
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