Woodlice are not your average insect. It’s no wonder that cultures around the world, including the Ancient Celts, have found meaning in these small creatures. In Celtic folklore, the woodlouse was thought to represent protection and safety. This symbolism was likely due to the woodlouse’s ability to curl up into a ball when threatened, creating a tough outer layer of protection. Did you know that even the common woodlouse has spiritual symbolism? In some cultures, the woodlouse is seen as a creature that represents adaptability and resilience. This symbolism comes from the woodlouse’s ability to roll into a protective ball when threatened, making it appear invincible to predators.

Bailey, Pat (March 15, 1999). "Humble Roly-Poly Bug Thwarts Stink Bugs in Farms, Gardens". UC Davis News Service. a b Calman, William Thomas (1911). "Wood-louse". In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol.28 (11thed.). Cambridge University Press. p.802. Despite all this, they could make good company as pets in the living room of the right owner. Interesting Woodlouse Facts 1. Woodlice can conglobate Helmut Schmalfuss; Karin Wolf-Schwenninger (2002). "A bibliography of terrestrial isopods (Crustacea, Isopoda, Oniscidea)—revised and updated version" (PDF). Stuttgarter Beiträge zur Naturkunde, Serie A. 639: 120 pp. (lists most scientific publications on the biology of Oniscidea published in a European language until the year 2004.)Recent research has shown that the grouping as traditionally defined may not be monophyletic, with some taxa like Ligia and possibly Tylidae more closely related to other marine isopod groups, though the majority of woodlice probably form a monophyletic clade. [7] [8] Common names [ edit ] Woodlice have a diet of rotting leaves and fruit, fungus, mildew, and mold. It eats the leftovers, or detritus, in the environment. While they developed special modifications to help them deal with the different terrain, their descendants maintain at least eight ancestral characteristics (synapomorphies) of the primitive, marine versions. Australian Word Map". Macquarie Dictionary. Macmillan Publishers, Australia. 2014 . Retrieved February 8, 2015.

They are nocturnal and live in damp, dark places and can often be found hiding under stones, wood, in compost heaps or in walls. Ivo Karaman (2003). " Macedonethes stankoi n. sp., a rhithral oniscidean isopod (Isopoda: Oniscidea: Trichoniscidae) from Macedonia" (PDF). Organisms Diversity & Evolution. 3 (8): 1–15. doi: 10.1078/1439-6092-00054.Despite being crustaceans just like shrimp, crabs and lobster, woodlouse are not quite as delectable – they are said to taste like urine! It all takes some sort of motivation to gain strength and face problems. We talked about motivation, right? The next spiritual meaning is all about motivation. Let’s get into it. 2) Motivation keeps us going

Since launching, they’ve tattooed thousands of people, including some famous names like Game of Thrones actress Lena Headey and boxer Nichola Adams.Woodlice have a basic morphology of a segmented, dorso-ventrally flattened body with seven pairs of jointed legs, specialised appendages for respiration and like other peracarids, females carry fertilised eggs in their marsupium, through which they provide developing embryos with water, oxygen and nutrients. The immature young hatch as mancae and receive further maternal care in some species. Juveniles then go through a series of moults before reaching maturity.

a b Bruce Marlin. "Common Woodlouse, Sow Bug, Pillbug". North American Insects and Spiders . Retrieved February 10, 2009.

By location

If you see one or two woodlice in your home, know that they are not harmful in any way. But, if you notice several of them including baby woodlice, it may mean they are feeding on mold or mildew inside your home. You may have some rotting wood due to water damage in a ceiling or floor. Woodlice evolved from marine isopods which are presumed to have colonised land in the Carboniferous, though the oldest known fossils are from the Cretaceous period. [4] They have many common names and although often referred to as terrestrial isopods, some species live semiterrestrially or have recolonised aquatic environments. Woodlice in the families Armadillidae, Armadillidiidae, Eubelidae, Tylidae and some other genera can roll up into a roughly spherical shape ( conglobate) as a defensive mechanism; others have partial rolling ability, but most cannot conglobate at all.