SEVEN new but endangered species of chirping giant pill millipede have been discovered in Madagascar.
The creatures resemble large woodlice and roll into a tight ball when threatened. They are somewhat smaller than their more common Madagascan cousins, which can be as large as a baseball when rolled up.
All the new species appear to be restricted to small, isolated habitats. One was found in a cave in Madagascar's southern dry spiny forest region.
Another was confined to the Lavasoa Mountain region, while the remainder inhabited fragments of rainforest, measuring a few hundred metres across.
Two species from the Sainte Luce forest were neighbours.
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