# What is this wormy thing I found in my house? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 23, 2023, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-wormy-thing-i-found-in-my-house/995051 "2023-12-23T17:36:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2023, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-wormy-thing-i-found-in-my-house/995051/1 "2023-12-23T17:36:48Z")
Found this crawling about a downstairs hallway this morning. I thought it was an ew! rat turd or something, then it moved! Deep brown color, tan underneath. Very slow mover, hard to even tell it’s alive. What is this thing? [![](https://i.imgur.com/ouASR4I.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/ouASR4I.jpg) [![](https://i.imgur.com/IMIigOk.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/IMIigOk.jpg) The really weird thing is I found it right outside my home office. I’d been out to the kitchen at least twice and it wasn’t there. Then it was. Maybe hiding by a baseboard before. The place I found it is circled, it was dead center of the hallway. [![](https://i.imgur.com/aIHkmMe.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/aIHkmMe.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2023, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-wormy-thing-i-found-in-my-house/995051/2 "2023-12-23T17:42:50Z")
I’m not sure what it is, but I bet it fell out of the vent in the ceiling. Looks like it has money, so be nice to it. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2023, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-wormy-thing-i-found-in-my-house/995051/3 "2023-12-23T17:44:20Z")
I believe that is a millipede. > **[Millipede](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millipede)** > > Millipedes (originating from the Latin mille, "thousand", and pes, "foot") are a group of arthropods that are characterised by having two pairs of jointed legs on most body segments; they are known scientifically as the class Diplopoda, the name derived from this feature. Each double-legged segment is a result of two single segments fused together. Most millipedes have very elongated cylindrical or flattened bodies with more than 20 segments, while pill millipedes are shorter and can roll i Mo... [![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bb/Millipede_collage.jpg/440px-Millipede_collage.jpg) ](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bb/Millipede_collage.jpg/440px-Millipede_collage.jpg) They are creepy, but not nearly as creepy as centipedes. I saw centipedes at my house in the country that were about 7 inches long. > **[Centipede](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centipede)** > > Centipedes (from Neo-Latin centi-, "hundred", and Latin pes, pedis, "foot") are predatory arthropods belonging to the class Chilopoda (Ancient Greek χεῖλος, kheilos, lip, and Neo-Latin suffix -poda, "foot", describing the forcipules) of the subphylum Myriapoda, an arthropod group which includes millipedes and other multi-legged animals. Centipedes are elongated segmented (metameric) creatures with one pair of legs per body segment. All centipedes are venomous and can inflict painful stings, ... [![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c1/Chilopoda_collage.png) ](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c1/Chilopoda_collage.png) ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2023, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-wormy-thing-i-found-in-my-house/995051/4 "2023-12-23T17:47:13Z")
It may indeed be a millipede. But is has an uncanny resemblance to a juvenile form of _De Vermis Mysteriis_, which brought such calamity to Chapelwaite. Approach with caution. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2023, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-wormy-thing-i-found-in-my-house/995051/5 "2023-12-23T17:48:29Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > I believe that is a millipede You may be right. I always thought of millipedes as fast movers though. This thing moves like the hour hand on a clock. Well, moved. It’s in my septic now. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2023, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-wormy-thing-i-found-in-my-house/995051/6 "2023-12-23T17:49:19Z")
I’m with Burpo on this. Hats required in the hallway from now on. (A bald caterpillar) ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2023, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-wormy-thing-i-found-in-my-house/995051/7 "2023-12-23T17:51:22Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > I bet it fell out of the vent in the ceiling Maybe. It wasn’t really under the vent, though, which is several feet down the hall from those doorways. And that’s an air intake for the furnace. It doesn’t really go anywhere except into the furnace. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2023, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-wormy-thing-i-found-in-my-house/995051/8 "2023-12-23T17:55:24Z")
IT CAME OUT OF THE FURNACE?!! I’m going with **@Jackmannii** – the Old Ones sent it. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2023, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-wormy-thing-i-found-in-my-house/995051/9 "2023-12-23T18:03:06Z")
I’d say millipede. I very occasionally find them in unlikely places inside my house. They’re pretty slow movers, not fast at all. Just be glad it wasn’t a [Giant African Millipede.](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/vY1aiNu09_c) ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2023, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-wormy-thing-i-found-in-my-house/995051/10 "2023-12-23T18:03:34Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > They are creepy, but not nearly as creepy as centipedes. Millipedes I find almost cute. Centipedes have me reaching for the orbital nuke controls. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2023, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-wormy-thing-i-found-in-my-house/995051/11 "2023-12-23T18:09:25Z")
> [@Ruken](#): > > Millipedes I find almost cute. Centipedes have me reaching for the orbital nuke controls. I love insects in a way that most people find odd, and I’m co-signing this. Spiders, beetles, praying mantises, cicadas, cool. The first time I ever saw a house centipede it scared the everloving shit out of me. My immediate thought was, “That’s not from Earth.” I think I even posted about it here. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2023, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-wormy-thing-i-found-in-my-house/995051/12 "2023-12-23T18:12:46Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > The first time I ever saw a house centipede it scared the everloving shit out of me. My immediate thought was, “That’s not from Earth.” Exactly my reaction to this centipede I photographed at my house in the country. The pic is blurry because my hands were shaking so much when I took it. It was about 7 inches long. It looks like it was created in the lab at Industrial Light & Magic company. [![](https://i.imgur.com/AvXOFwd.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/AvXOFwd.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2023, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-wormy-thing-i-found-in-my-house/995051/13 "2023-12-23T18:16:52Z")
All right, everyone. Cut the metric crap, that’s an inchworm. :flees: ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2023, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-wormy-thing-i-found-in-my-house/995051/14 "2023-12-23T18:18:00Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > Just be glad it wasn’t a [Giant African Millipede.](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/vY1aiNu09_c) My husband won’t let me get a Giant African Land Snail. I wonder if he would compromise for this. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2023, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-wormy-thing-i-found-in-my-house/995051/15 "2023-12-23T18:25:44Z")
Millipedes like the OP showed are real common here in SoFL. You’ll find them patiently cruising along on the sidewalk and frequently find them inside your house as well. Usually curled up and desiccated, but sometimes still actively on the hoof. > [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > > [@Ruken](#): > > > > Millipedes I find almost cute. Centipedes have me reaching for the orbital nuke controls. > > I love insects in a way that most people find odd, and I’m co-signing this. Spiders, beetles, praying mantises, cicadas, cool. The first time I ever saw a house centipede it scared the everloving shit out of me. My immediate thought was, “That’s not from Earth.” I wouldn’t say “love” for me, but many of them are really interesting and non-revulsive. Except centipedes. Although I often comment that any such critter the size of a housecat or worse yet a rhinoceros would be serious nightmare fuel. e.g. a closeup pic of the face of a cute little ladybug is pretty horrific. One of those with a head the same size as yours would send most people, even bugophiles, scurrying out of the room, perhaps screaming along the way. This is probably the SDMB all-time record for off-putting creatures (with _three_ clicks required to actually see the monster; it’s that bad): > [@What animals would be more dangerous if enlarged?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-animals-would-be-more-dangerous-if-enlarged/983050/27): > > Although some extant exoskeleton land critters get a bunch bigger than @Charlie_Tan’s mongo grasshopper. See here for some recent Doperish exoskeleton-equipped drama: > > > **Spoilered for potentially alarming visual once you actually go to the link. Expanding the spoiler is safe.** > > > > \ We caught an Amazonian Giant Centipede in our vacation house\ ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2023, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-wormy-thing-i-found-in-my-house/995051/16 "2023-12-23T18:33:12Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Millipedes like the OP showed are real common here in SoFL. Aww, I lived in Gainesville for one year, and I never saw one. Maybe too far north? I liked all the lizards scurrying around, though. Pretty funny when my husband and I were settling into our rented apartment, the bedroom window faced a wooded area. Spouse Weasel: Hey, let’s open this window and let the breeze in. Me: Great idea! Spouse Weasel: _Opens the window_ _Giant ass palmetto bug flies toward us_ Me: Or we could keep it closed. Yeah, close the window. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2023, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-wormy-thing-i-found-in-my-house/995051/17 "2023-12-23T18:33:34Z")
Don’t step on a centipede. Barefoot. It’s seriously the grossest feeling of that thing underfoot. Ick ick ick! ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2023, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-wormy-thing-i-found-in-my-house/995051/18 "2023-12-23T18:37:24Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > But is has an uncanny resemblance to a juvenile form of _De Vermis Mysteriis_, which brought such calamity to Chapelwaite. _De Vermis Mysteriis_ is a (fictional) grimoire tome that was a collection of knowledge by alchemist and necromancer Ludvig Prinn. This might be an immature [Cthonian](https://lovecraft.fandom.com/wiki/Chthonian), or perhaps a bit of a [Crawling One](https://lovecraft.fandom.com/wiki/Crawling_One) whose corpus is living in your basement. Either way, fuel your flamethrower, prepare your Elder Sign, and gird your loins. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![xtenkfarpl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c2a13f/32.png) [@xtenkfarpl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xtenkfarpl)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2023, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-wormy-thing-i-found-in-my-house/995051/19 "2023-12-23T18:44:34Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > You may be right. I always thought of millipedes as fast movers though. This thing moves like the hour hand on a clock. > > Well, moved. It’s in my septic now. That’s a bit unkind? What harm has it ever done to you? If I find a creature in our house, unless it is actually dangerous to people (like a black widow), I will catch it in a cup or something and release it outside. Mind you, we don’t find many since we have cats… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2023, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-wormy-thing-i-found-in-my-house/995051/20 "2023-12-23T19:12:15Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > SDMB all-time record for off-putting creatures Yes, that was a wild one! Did you notice that it was re-growing a leg? > [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > I love insects in a way that most people find odd, and I’m co-signing this. Spiders, […] I love most insects and spiders too, but [nitpick!] spiders are not insects, they are [arachnids](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arachnid). But when I say most I do not include centipedes either. They are called _ciempiés_ in Spanish (hundred-feet, logical), or _[escolopendra](https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scolopendromorpha)_, which sounds much scarier in my ears. Let that roll off your tongue (the word, not the animal!). I remember seeing one when I was a little boy in Madrid and I still believe the monster could outrun me. Only the stairs saved me! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-wormy-thing-i-found-in-my-house/995051.md?page=2)