Most legs on an animal ever

The most legs possessed by any species of animal, living or extinct, is 1,306, constituting 653 pairs, possessed by Eumillipes persephone, a newly described species of millipede from the Goldfields region of Western Australia. Like all millipedes, almost every major body segment, of which this species has 330, possesses two pairs of limbs (hence the millipedes' taxonomic name – Diplopoda, translating as "double-footed"). Sporting an extremely elongated body, it was discovered some 60 m (200 ft) below ground in a drill hole created for mineral exploration, and, as would therefore be expected, exhibits a number of specializations for a life deep underground, such as lacking eyes and pigmentation, but bearing a pair of enormous antennae with which it explores its surroundings by touch. Measuring a mere 95.7 mm (3.8 in) long and 0.95 mm (0.04 in) wide, this remarkable new thread-like species was discovered in August 2020, and formally described and named in December 2021 in the journal Scientific Reports.

"Millipede" translates as "one thousand feet", but despite their name these famously multi-limbed arthropods had never previously been known to possess such a high number. On the contrary, most millipedes "only" have about 300 pairs of legs, although a millipede called Illacme plenipes found in California, USA, has 375 pairs (750 legs), and was the record holder until the discovery of E. persephone.