Isopods!

Definition

Isopoda is an order of crustaceans. Members of this group are called Isopods and include both aquatic species and terrestrial species such as woodlice

Facts

• Isopods are Crustaceans, meaning they are more related to lobsters than ants. Shocking. I know!

• Isopods have gills. Yes, they have gills! They often curl up into balls to preserve the water they get. No! You cannot put them in water!

• (Most) Isopods are Detritivores. Meaning; they eat dead stuff! Which also means they will unfortunately eat fellow dead Isopods. But they gotta eat!

• Isopods have a look-alike! The Pill Millipede — They look similar, a lot! You could easily mistake the two, but that isn't a bad thing! They're both harmless critters! <3

• There are many different species! Ex: Armadillidium, Porcellio, Cubaris (AKA - Ducky Isopod) etc! They are all very diverse and cute!

• Isopods love rain! They come out a lot when it's raining. You could easily see a group of Armadillidiums chilling when it's raining.

• Isopods have been around since the Permian, which is roughly 298.9 million years ago. Wow!

• Isopods can't see color. Instead they see light! So they can't see the beauties of the world :(

• Isopods eat their poop!... Well, they need to, everytime they poop they lose copper, which they need to live! So yes, they'll also eat other Isopods doodoo...

• Isopods can reproduce parthenogenetically. Which means a form of asexual reproduction where an embryo develops from an unfertilized egg. it literally translates to "virgin birth" in Greek. Isopods can do this! Cool, right?

• Isopods don't urinate. They don't need to! Why??? Because they release gas through their exoskeleton.

• People speculate Isopods may have personalities! Isn't that crazy? A little "bug" thought to perchance have a personality? Maybe humor too? Haha, kidding.

• When an Isopod rolls into a ball, it’s called conglobation. Conglobation comes from the Latin con, meaning "with" or "together", and "globus" meaning globe, or round thing. So conglobation means "coming together into a ball". Amazing!

• Isopods are one of the most nicknamed invertebrates! Such as: Cheeselogs, Potato bugs, Slaters, Roll-up bugs, Chuggy pigs, Pill bugs, Rolly polly, etc!

• Isopods can turn blue/purple. Unfortunately this isn't a pretty feature, this means they're sick. It's called "iridovirus" and it causes crystals to form in their exoskeletons. Devastatingly, the infection is usually fatal to the isopod. :(

• Isopod mothers carry their babies in pouches! And after the eggs hatch, the babies stay in the pouch for up to three to four days before coming out. They look like tiiiiny colorless copies of their mothers. And they stay near her till their an adult!
EX: Baby Isopod

• Isopods are also used in traditional medicine. Cool right?? They're used to treat malnutrition in children suffering from protein deficiency.

• Isopods are nocturnal. This doesn't mean you won't see them during the day, it'll just not usually be them roaming around!

• Isopods can regrow legs. I know! That's so cool right? If a Isopod loses a leg, it will grow back in a few weeks. Fascinating!

• Isopods don’t have a typical brain. Rather than a single complex brain, the neural ganglia in each of the 7 thorax sections exerts independent control over the different body parts. So cool!!!

Related pages

(I made this about roly polys not giant isopods)