HomeUnited KingdomToday I learnt that woodlice and rolypolies are actually two separate creatures and it isn’t just people calling them different things in different places
Today I learnt that woodlice and rolypolies are actually two separate creatures and it isn’t just people calling them different things in different places
October 13, 2024
First time in my life at 30 that I've ever seen a rolypoly.
What can I say? My mind is blown.
by Abwettar
28 comments
Hey, I’m 38 and I’d never even heard of roly poly’s before today, let alone seen one.
They’re actually both woodlice, just different families. The “Roly Poly” (which is actually an American name for them) is properly named Armadillidiidae.
When I lived in the south of England, these were the type of Woodlice I typically came across – the ones in the north of England are the non-rolling variant of woodlouse.
Thx for that
Excuse me I think you’ll find that’s a cheeselog!
I’ve always called it a woodlouse but a friend of mine from Oxford calls them cheese logs. It came up on the NY Times accent quiz and placed him close to Oxford
It’s a chiggypig,
But I had no idea what that Rolypolie is, and still don’t as it appears to again be a chiggypig
The names are used interchangeably but yes not all woodlice can roll up.
I just thought every time I saw a woodlouse not rolling up, it just decided not to. But no, apparently they’re just different animals
Cheesybobs!
He touched it!
Adding onto the other comment re: genus/family, we have some interesting woodlice here in the UK – the top one is likely Armadillidium vulgare, which can come with different amounts of yellow or cream spotting with black, brown or cream body colours.
The lower one (Porcellio laevis) can come in different colour morphs – various shades of brown, orange, white and spotted. Seriously if anyone has outdoorsy kids (or adult-sized kids), go turn over some rocks/ leaves and see if you can find any cool colours or patterns, I have a colony of black and orange lava p. scaber in my garden.
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 or to conserve moisture; others have partial rolling ability, but most cannot conglobate at all.
Where I live, we call them cheesy bugs!
Today I learned Rolypoly is a bug and not just a cool action move
Slaters is what some call them in Scotland. Never heard of roly polys!
I liked to collect them as kids so I learned that early on. As an adult I’ve learned that they actually make great pets. There’s a lot of people on YouTube posting videos about all sorts of species.
wait,…what!!
mess with my 4+ decades of understanding things and i will come for you.
(i wont)
Roly poly? I think you mean chuggy-pig
Excuse me, I think you’ll find that’s a gramersow!
My mum calls them “sunshine bugs”. No idea why. She grew up in Enfield, though her dad was from Birmingham so I have no idea if it’s regional or just her
Welp, time to bring out the mint mace.
They’re also crustaceans, not insects. Basically landcrabs.
When I grew up we used to call the big rolling ones Rain beetles. Looking this up now though, I cannot see this name connected to this creature at all, and a rain beetle is apparently something that looks like a stag beetle with no pincers instead.
The normal ones were always just woodlice
My wife always calls the rolled up one “pea bugs”, hadn’t heard that phrase before
I’m now realising 1. I haven’t seen a woodlouse in decades. Used to see them all the time as a kid. 2. All the ones I remember kinda rolled up, but nothing like as tightly or perfectly as the one there. 3. Blowing them up with French bangers was a dick move.
Here’s me thinking a roly poly was just when you like rolled your body never heard them been referred to regarding an animal
In Australia they’re called ‘Butchy Boys’ which I love
I’ve never heard of a rolypoly
never heard them called rolypolies in London/South East, where you from?
28 comments
Hey, I’m 38 and I’d never even heard of roly poly’s before today, let alone seen one.
They’re actually both woodlice, just different families. The “Roly Poly” (which is actually an American name for them) is properly named Armadillidiidae.
When I lived in the south of England, these were the type of Woodlice I typically came across – the ones in the north of England are the non-rolling variant of woodlouse.
Thx for that
Excuse me I think you’ll find that’s a cheeselog!
I’ve always called it a woodlouse but a friend of mine from Oxford calls them cheese logs. It came up on the NY Times accent quiz and placed him close to Oxford
It’s a chiggypig,
But I had no idea what that Rolypolie is, and still don’t as it appears to again be a chiggypig
The names are used interchangeably but yes not all woodlice can roll up.
I just thought every time I saw a woodlouse not rolling up, it just decided not to. But no, apparently they’re just different animals
Cheesybobs!
He touched it!
Adding onto the other comment re: genus/family, we have some interesting woodlice here in the UK – the top one is likely Armadillidium vulgare, which can come with different amounts of yellow or cream spotting with black, brown or cream body colours.
The lower one (Porcellio laevis) can come in different colour morphs – various shades of brown, orange, white and spotted. Seriously if anyone has outdoorsy kids (or adult-sized kids), go turn over some rocks/ leaves and see if you can find any cool colours or patterns, I have a colony of black and orange lava p. scaber in my garden.
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 or to conserve moisture; others have partial rolling ability, but most cannot conglobate at all.
Where I live, we call them cheesy bugs!
Today I learned Rolypoly is a bug and not just a cool action move
Slaters is what some call them in Scotland. Never heard of roly polys!
I liked to collect them as kids so I learned that early on. As an adult I’ve learned that they actually make great pets. There’s a lot of people on YouTube posting videos about all sorts of species.
wait,…what!!
mess with my 4+ decades of understanding things and i will come for you.
(i wont)
Roly poly? I think you mean chuggy-pig
Excuse me, I think you’ll find that’s a gramersow!
My mum calls them “sunshine bugs”. No idea why. She grew up in Enfield, though her dad was from Birmingham so I have no idea if it’s regional or just her
Welp, time to bring out the mint mace.
They’re also crustaceans, not insects. Basically landcrabs.
When I grew up we used to call the big rolling ones Rain beetles. Looking this up now though, I cannot see this name connected to this creature at all, and a rain beetle is apparently something that looks like a stag beetle with no pincers instead.
The normal ones were always just woodlice
My wife always calls the rolled up one “pea bugs”, hadn’t heard that phrase before
I’m now realising 1. I haven’t seen a woodlouse in decades. Used to see them all the time as a kid. 2. All the ones I remember kinda rolled up, but nothing like as tightly or perfectly as the one there. 3. Blowing them up with French bangers was a dick move.
Here’s me thinking a roly poly was just when you like rolled your body never heard them been referred to regarding an animal
In Australia they’re called ‘Butchy Boys’ which I love
I’ve never heard of a rolypoly
never heard them called rolypolies in London/South East, where you from?