Armadillidiidae

Now there's a vocab word for the day! Ok its just the scientific name of our little friend the Pillbug aka Roly-Poly aka... You know those cute little critters that roll right into a ball when you poke at 'em or pick 'em up.

So I got "the question"* again from my little ones... Mommy, what do Roly-Polys eat? Well, I really don't know.. would you like me to look it up on the computer when we get home? Yes. Ok.

This makes sense now that I think of it: They eat decaying plant matter and thrive in damp areas because they breathe through gill-like organs. There are always tons of them at one of our favorite parks, they are down under the damp wood chips... just eating away until we come along to poke at 'em.

My sources: Wikipedia , bugguide.net

* The "what do ____ eat?" question is very common in our house. Want to know what mudskippers eat? or if bats lay eggs?