It’s time to roll out the facts!
Roly-polies and giant isopods are related—they represent two of the estimated 10,000 species of isopods, a group of crustaceans. Isopods have compound eyes, two pairs of antennae, four sets of jaws, and a body with seven segments.
Commonly called woodlice or pillbugs, roly-polies are relatively small (up to 6 in/15 cm long) land animals that you might find in your garden or backyard at home. The appropriately named giant isopods, on the other hand (claw?), can grow to 16 in/40 cm long on the deep sea floor—about the size of a football!
While they live in completely different habitats, they serve the same ecological role—recycling dead material! Woodlice mainly feed on decaying plant matter on land, while giant isopods are decomposers of the deep sea, feeding on animal carcasses and detritus falling from above. Talk about a worldwide cleanup crew!
Want to learn more about giant isopods? Check out our giant isopod animal page or get up close and personal with them at our giant isopod touch pool in Into the Deep/En Lo Profundo!
