Woodlouse how many legs

Woodlice are widely studied in the contexts of evolutionary biology , behavioural ecology and nutrient cycling. They are popular as terrarium pets because of their varied colour and texture forms, conglobating ability and ease of care.

Common names for woodlice vary throughout the English-speaking world. A number of common names make reference to the fact that some species of woodlice can roll up into a ball. Other names compare the woodlouse to a pig. The woodlouse has a shell -like exoskeleton , which it must progressively shed as it grows. The moult takes place in two stages; the back half is lost first, followed two or three days later by the front.

This method of moulting is different from that of most arthropods, which shed their cuticle in a single process. A female woodlouse will keep fertilised eggs in a marsupium on the underside of her body until they hatch into offspring that look like small white woodlice curled up in balls.

The mother then appears to "give birth" to her offspring. Females are also capable of reproducing asexually. Despite being crustaceans like lobsters or crabs , woodlice are said to have an unpleasant taste. Pillbugs woodlice of the family Armadillidiidae, also known as pill woodlice can be confused with pill millipedes of the order Glomerida. Pill woodlouse Scientific name: Armadillidium vulgare.

The defensive mechanism of the pill woodlouse is very recognisable - it curls itself into a tight ball, only showing its plated armour to its attacker. It is an important recycler of nutrients, feeding on decaying matter. Species information Category Crustacea, Centipedes and Millipedes. Statistics Length: 1. Conservation status Common. When to see January to December. Windmill ». One woodlouse, many woodlice.

Woodlice are a crustacean and have a long outer skeleton body and fourteen limbs that are jointed. There are at least species of woodlice and some, Armadillidium, can roll into a spherical shape as a defence, though most woodlice can not do this. Woodlice have many other names, including: armadillo bug, boat-builder, carpenter, cafner, cheeselog, cheesy bug, doodlebug, pill bug, potato bug, roly-poly, sow bug, roll up bug, chuggypig, chucky pig, slater, gramersow, butcher boy, butchy boy and wood bug.

Some of these common names are specific to certain species of woodlice. The fertilised eggs of a female woodlouse are kept in a brood pouch on the underside of its body. Woodlice make a distinctive bad smell by excreting ammonia through their exoskeleton. You can test this by keeping woodlice in a jar for a short time and sniffing the air inside. The mother lays her eggs into the pouch and her offspring hatch inside.

Even when they have left the pouch, the mother stays close to her young for a few months until they mature. Common rough woodlice usually live for two to three years.