Why do dead millipedes shatter?

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Why do dead millipedes shatter?

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Anonymous 0 Comments

I don’t know, but i can make a guess. Insects exoskeleton is hard and attached to their soft and wet interior. After their death the interior dries and contracts, pulling the exoskeleton to the center of the body. Maybe the exoskeleton also dries and becomes brittle or it loses nutrients that give it structural integrity. The weakened exoskeleton breaks under the pressure caused by the pulling force. Millipedes are longer and thinner than other insects, a shape that is less capable of withstanding stress compared to a more spherical one.