Meet the marvellous millipede with more than 1,000 legs!

The millipede was found almost 60 metres underground in a mining region in Western Australia

Scientists in Australia have discovered an millipede with more legs than any other known animal!

The pale-coloured millipede has more than 1,300 legs and a body which is about 95mm long.

The animal's scientific name means "true thousand feet", but most millipedes actually have less than this.

So this discovery means that for once, a millipede is more than living up to it's name.

The previous record-holder was a California millipede species with 750 legs.

The creature has been named Eumillipes Persephone, and was found almost 60 metres (200ft) underground in a mining region in Western Australia.

Persephone is a reference to Greek mythology, where the queen of the underworld is given that name.

What did the scientists uncover?

One adult female millipede in the study was found to have 1,306 legs and another had 998. Two adult males had 818 legs and 778 legs.

"In my opinion this is a stunning animal, a marvel of evolution," said study co-author Bruno Buzatto, a principal biologist at Bennelongia Environmental Consultants in Perth, Australia.

"It represents the most extreme elongation found to date in millipedes, which were the first animals to conquer land."