Sammy Ramsey, 27, an entomologist and Ph.D student at the University of Maryland, didn’t grow up with kittens and puppies, or even fish or turtles. All of his pets had exoskeletons and sadly short life spans. Still, if you ask him what bug makes the best companion, his answer comes immediately.

“If you had a permit, I would recommend getting your own little LeRoy―out of everything I’ve ever raised, he’s still my favorite.” LeRoy was Ramsey’s 15-inch-long giant African millipede. In high school, Ramsey would come to school with LeRoy around his neck and wait until people slowly noticed that his necklace was moving, then panic and freak out, and afterwards, become deeply intrigued. Ramsey loved how LeRoy gave him an opportunity to proselytize, to tell people about the wonders of bugs and debunk their fears and misconceptions