Millipede life cycle stages. (IMAGE) University of Tokyo Caption When millipedes first hatch, they have only three pairs of legs. They then go through about eight life cycle stages, with periods of molting, resting and growth. By the time they are adults, they usually have somewhere between 40 to 400 legs, but the longest found so far (deep underground in Australia) had an impressive 1,306. Credit 2023 Soma Chiyoda Usage Restrictions Credit must be given to the creator. Only noncommercial uses of the work are permitted. License CC BY-NC Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.