Tractor Millipede - Danum

Centipede or millipede?

@Hix No idea. I always follow the idea that the ones with legs out from the body are centipedes, and the ones with legs under the body are millipedes, but I don't think that's particularly accurate.

Does this animal have its fiery pattern to ward off predators or is it more of a warning to ZooChatters that it looks like a deadly beast?

A tractor millipede, of the genus Barydesmus.

@Swampy Awesome thank you! Apart from actually knowing your stuff, is there a rule of thumb for distinguishing centipedes and millipedes?

the gait of the two tends to be quite different, with centipedes generally moving in a more quick, darting fashion, while millipedes amble along more gently. also the fangs of a centipede will almost always be visible by the head, but absent in a millipede. Centipedes also have longer, flatter heads in general, whereas millipedes have shorter, more vertical faces (if 'vertical' is the right word).

Thanks a lot

...but don't pick it up to see if it has fangs...

@Swampy - can you have a look at these curious critters I found in Vietnam and see what you can come up with:

spiny centipedes | ZooChat
spiny centipedes | ZooChat

@Chlidonias , the fangs will be visible on the side of the head, particularly on larger specimens, without having to pick the centipede up.
I think your photos are a Desmoxytes species, often called 'dragon millipedes'.