Are Pill Bugs Helping Slow Down Climate Change?
Greetings!
Like much of the country, we have experienced a roller coaster of weather this week. Spring has been teasing us with occasional glorious, warm, blue-sky days mixed in with clouds and rain. We made it up to 65 degrees one day, but tonight and tomorrow, snow is expected. Just as I am getting excited about being able to be out in the garage to do stained glass projects, it’s too cold again. Sure, most parts I can technically do in the cold, but soldering is not one of them. Also, I prefer not to be working bundled in layers next to a space heater with my ears and nose filling with icicles.
We had a wild thunderstorm yesterday. Kola was hiding in her dog house when I went to rescue her from her outdoor time. She wasn’t especially eager to come inside, like she is when there is serious wind, but also didn’t want to stay out. She settled for a quick potty walk and then came inside for dinner.
This Week
I actually did get some stained glass time in yesterday afternoon. I started this project months ago and only worked on it a bit during the winter. I’m down to fitting a few last pieces, finishing the tack soldering, and then moving on to the real soldering. This is definitely not the most attractive part of the process. Right now I am only putting bits of solder down to connect the pieces. The final result should look really good!
We just arrived back from the vet. Max has been holding up his left front leg for about a week, so we had him checked out. He’s had shorter episodes like this that usually resolve within 2-3 days, so we were surprised when he kept favoring the leg. We suspect arthritis, but it could be something else. So far, the vet found no breaks or cracks and no suspicion of an infection.
Max thinks we suck. He prefers to always stay inside his home. He will cautiously venture onto the front porch if we are out there. Getting put inside a crate, taken for a car ride, and ending up in a strange-smelling place with people poking and prodding him is nowhere on his list of acceptable activities. He’d appreciate it if we would remember that from now on.
He’s in hiding and we may not see him for several hours, possibly a couple of days. For that very reason, the vet gave him some transdermal pain medication that had to soak in for 30 minutes before we could take him home. It should last for about 4 days, plenty of time for the test results to come back so we can make a plan for how to proceed.
So, Max is currently scared and wants nothing to do with his people. The extra sad part is that Jasper is also very upset, convinced he’s next. He has also gone into hiding. So, neither boy trust either of us right now. Sometimes, it’s hard to be a parent.
Full Speed Ahead
What About…?
Pill Bugs
Though I can’t prove it, I suspect that pill bugs, AKA rollie-pollies, doodlebugs, potato bugs, woodlice (UK) cheesy bugs (UK), and more, are among the first bug-like creature that most kids can identify. After all, they won’t bite, sting, or release a nasty smell and they turn into cute little balls when you touch them. Those facts may very well be the only ones most people know about pill bugs. Are you ready for more knowledge?
This might blow your mind. Pill bugs are not actually bugs or insects but are instead terrestrial crustaceans. That’s right, they are more closely related to crabs and shrimp than insects. It is safe to eat them and some say they actually taste like shrimp. I think I’ll pass.
Being crustaceans, pill bugs have gills through which they breathe. They cannot live underwater but their gills, essentially mucus membranes, must remain moist. This is the reason they are normally found in damp areas like under pieces of wood, rocks, or pots on your porch or walkway.
Pill bugs and sow bugs are similar but not the same. Sow bugs have two tail-like protrusions and cannot roll up into a ball.
The ability to roll into a ball is a defensive maneuver and is called “conglobation.” That ability, plus their brown or gray coloring acting as camouflage, is the only defense pill bugs have.
Conglobation is also a way for pill bugs to conserve moisture in their bodies.
Pill bugs do not urinate. Their bodies allow them to release ammonia and other waste fluids as gases through their exoskeletons.
Pill bugs will eat their own poop (an act called coprophagy). Researchers believe this is to regain any copper that was eliminated. Copper is an important part of transporting oxygen throughout their bodies, much as humans use iron.
How about one more gross fact? Pills bugs can drink from either end of their bodies - through the mouth, or through a tubelike structure leading directly into the anus.
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Exploring More
Are Pill Bugs Helping Slow Down Climate Change?
Pill bugs seem like they are everywhere - until you are looking for one. It’s more difficult than you’d think to find images of pill bugs online, so I thought I would take one of my own. Phone in hand (Remember when phones were for calling people instead of taking pictures?), Kola Dog and I set out on our mission.
After lifting numerous logs, branches, rocks, and boards, I’d only found one small nearly dormant sow bug and the location was going to make it hard to photograph. I guess it’s still a bit too cold for these guys to be active. They become inactive during winter, with spring and summer being their most active months.
Pill bugs have similar-looking ancestors dating back millions of years, from when they were still underwater creatures. Eventually, pill bugs and sow bugs developed into the terrestrial crustacean we know today. They are distant cousins of the present-day giant isopod, which is a deep sea dweller that looks similar to our beloved doodlebug and grows up to about 16 inches - as compared to the 1/4 - 1/2 inch length of pill bugs. Both have 14 legs, a similarly-shaped exoskeleton, and are scavengers.
Since we are on the topic of scavengers, this leads us to some of the important work pill bugs do for the environment. Like worms, they are excellent composters. They eat decaying vegetation, wood, and animal matter, digest it, and leave nutrient-rich droppings behind, helping feed old and new plants and trees. Without the various creatures that deal with decaying organic matter, we’d be living in a real mess!
The eating habits of pill bugs also serve to slow climate change, albeit on a small scale. As the earth warms, certain fungi increase, leading to the faster release of carbon dioxide - it’s a fungus thing. Pill bugs eat the fungi, thus reducing the amount of carbon dioxide the fungi can release.
Scientists also look towards pill bugs as an indicator of environmental health. Pill bugs are very sensitive to environmental changes, so when there is a change in pill bug behavior, population, or other factors, it’s a sign of a change in the environment.
One more unique way pill bugs may be beneficial is as models for animal personality research. Yes, you read that right - personality research. A significant scientific study was published in 2019 that demonstrated pill bugs have individual personalities demonstrated by boldness or risk-taking behaviors and that within an individual, their behaviors stay consistent.
Pill bugs are cute, have a personality, are effective composters, and more. They aren’t harmful to humans, or any living thing, really - well, perhaps fungi. They are not even particularly harmful to gardens or crops. It’s super cool that they are related to sea creatures. Really, what’s not to like?
Main Resources
Forest Preserve District Will County (Illinois)
Monterey Bay Aquarium (Monterey Bay, California)
Natural History Museum (South Kensington, London)
Keep your eye out for doodlebugs this weekend, and as spring settles in. How long has it been since you watched one crawl around or roll into a tiny ball of armor? Give yourself a chance to reconnect with the simple joys of childhood. They may be right in front of you. All you have to do is notice.
Peace,
Dakota Duncan
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If you want to learn about my graphic novel or children's chapter books, please visit my website: dakotaduncan.com
