Woodlouse

The woodlouse crawled across the window ledge.

When I was a kid we called sowbugs “roly-polys”, because they roll up in a ball when threatened. In some other places that kind of isopod is called a “woodlouse”.

In addition, both the woodlouse and the crayfish possess an unpaired medial nerve which runs along the whole length of the ventral nerve cord, linking adjacent ganglia.

Woodlice commonly produce offspring 1-3 times per year, with spring and autumn broods most common. Woodlice often survive for longer than a year, with longevity of 2-5 years not uncommon.

The sections allow woodlice to bend and curve their armored bodies. Some types of woodlice can roll into a tight ball. They do this to protect themselves when threatened by a predator. Female woodlice carry their eggs in a liquid-filled pouch under their bodies. When the young woodlice hatch from the eggs, they crawl out of the pouch.