Lemurs Getting High on Millipedes


Lemurs has a diet primarily made up of fruit. Periodically, however, the lemur will capture one of the large red millipedes also found on the island—but not to eat. Instead, the black lemur will bite the millipede gently, and throw it back on the ground. This is the lemur equivalent of taking a bong hit.

When millipedes are picked up, their defense strategy is to curl up into a coil. Most millipedes also have paired glands in their legs that secrete a toxic combination of chemicals, including cyanide, which effectively deters most predators. But it does not dissuade the black lemur, the stoner of the animal kingdom.