5 Facts About A Woodlouse You Should Know Of
A woodlouse is a common household annoyance in the United Kingdom. Most people think they are just like common household insects, but they are not insects. Surprised? Well, we have some fascinating facts about a woodlouse that you will be amazed to know.
1. Not Really An Insect I already disclosed that a woodlouse is not an insect. It belongs to crustacean family from the monophyletic suborder Oniscidea within the isopods. Unlike other crustaceans like crabs and shrimps, they have rather dry bodies and they can spend their lifetime away from water. Although, they do need moist living conditions to survive. That’s the reason why they mostly come out at night under the damp conditions.
2. They’re Very Common in the UK Woodlice are hidden commoners in the United Kingdom. If you turn any wood log, rock, or debris, you’ll probably find a woodlouse there. Though a woodlouse cannot survive dry conditions but they can often be seen roaming in various houses in the UK. They are mainly found in the rooms near your garden, bathroom shelves, rooms with damp walls, under the moist carpets etc. But you can easily get rid of them with the help of chemical sprays, insect killers, and vacuum cleaners. You can learn about how to get rid of woodlouse here.
They are found in almost any habitat in UK except those cold highland areas. They have a bumpy exoskeleton, seven body segments, and fourteen legs. Fourteen legs are really fascinating, right?
3. Existence Around The Globe The common rough woodlouse is known to be one of the strongest woodlouse species in the UK. They can tolerate rough dry and salty conditions, such as coastlines. It is mainly because of their toughness that they effectively survived their accidental transportation across the world by humans. Common rough woodlice are now found on most of the continents except Antarctica and some isolated islands like Hawaii.
4. Natural Decomposers & Recyclers Woodlice mostly feed on decaying wood, fungi, leaf litter, dead animals, and fallen fruits and vegetables. They are also Coprophagic which means they eat their own faeces. They do that to recycle copper in their diet because their blood is based on copper just like other marine crustaceans. These species are also natural decomposers as they live in compost heaps and help in decomposition process.
5. They are Protective Mothers Just like Kangaroos, a female woodlouse has a protective pouch where she lays her eggs and let them hatch. Even when their offspring leave the pouch, the mothers stay close to them until they mature. The average life of a common woodlouse is two to three years. Aside from humans, their main predators are spiders, toads, shrews, centipedes etc.
6. They Are Stinky Woodlice have a distinctive bad smell as their exoskeleton excrete ammonia. Because of this reason, woodlice are known by the names like Stinky Pig, Wood Pig, Chiggy Pig etc.
7. Antenna To Help Find a Way Around Woodlice have a pair of antenna that helps them find their way around. They also have two small tubes called uropods that help them navigate.
