Woodlouse

High school (ages 12+)
Animals & Nature

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/woodlouse

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific name?Order: Isopoda. Suborder: Oniscidea (terrestrial isopods)
2. Why do woodlice roll into a ball?They roll into a ball to protect their softer belly and legs from predators. This trick is called conglobation.
3. How do woodlice breathe?Woodlice breathe through special legs on their belly called pleopods, which act like tiny lungs. They need a moist atmosphere so the pleopods stay wet.

Ecdysis: The process of shedding an exoskeleton to allow for growth in arthropods.
Detritivore: An organism that feeds on dead organic matter, playing a key role in decomposition.
Marsupium: A pouch on the underside of female terrestrial isopods where eggs and young are brooded.