Woodlouse

This is the most popular minibeast at Scotswood Garden, providing endless hours of delight to young minibeast hunters!

Woodlice come from the same family as crustaceans like crabs, so they really shouldn't be in the insect category at all. One of the main features of crustaceans is that they have a skeleton on the outside of their bodies - this is called an exoskeleton. The exoskeleton helps to protect them from predators. 

Woodlice have 14 legs and two feelers. They start out with 12 legs but grow two more as they develop. They are great recyclers, smashing up and eating rotting vegetation, helping to return nutrients back into the soil. 

There are five common species of woodlouse in the UK, but 35-40 different species in total in the UK. 

As most minibeast hunters know, their favourite hiding places are under logs and rocks, in compost heaps, in fact anywhere damp and shady. They tend to rest in those microhabitats during the day and come out at night to find food. 

Woodlice don't lay eggs and leave them, instead the female lays the eggs and keeps them attached to the underside of her body until they hatch out. The young woodlice stay with their mother for three months before going it alone.