Outside in your grounds, are thousands of little crustaceans; tiny descendants of crabs, shrimp and lobsters. They are Woodlice, also known as Sowbugs, Chiggypigs or Cheeselogs.
Woodlice belong to a dark and damp nocturnal world, where they feed on rotting plant material. They are incredibly useful as nature’s recyclers- beginning the process of decomposition that bacteria and fungi complete.
You can find woodlice in your grounds at any time of the year; to catch some, all you’ll need is a pot, a pair of tweezers and an identification chart.
Once you’ve collected a few woodlice, you may notice that there are different shapes, sizes and markings. Did you know there are 46 different species of woodlouse in Britain? You may have at least 3 or 4 of them in your pot.
Each species of woodlouse prefers a slightly different habitat, with a slightly different niche (or “job” if you like).
If you have woodlice you’d like to identify with your class, click on Woodlouse for a really nice online key from the Natural History Museum’s “Walking with Woodlice” project.
The NHM woodlouse survey was last carried out in 2004, but it still contains some very useful information and ideas on working with woodlice in your school grounds. Click here for the results of their national survey, which may inspire you to carry out your own?
A Simple Woodlouse Experiment.
Try this simple experiment to discover a woodlouse’s preference to living in darkness (if you would like to sound clever, this preference is called “negative phototropism”).
This activity is suitable for Key Stage 2-4 pupils.
Collect a minimum of 20 woodlice, preferably of the same species, and put them all into a pot at the centre of a large tray, the sides of which should be high enough to prevent any escapees.
Using cardboard, or any other suitable material, divide your tray into four “choice chambers”, or rooms, leaving enough space under your dividers for the woodlice to move about freely.
Create different conditions in each chamber - for instance, at Key Stage 2, it could be that you have two rooms covered (dark), and two rooms uncovered (light).
With older groups you could add damp vegetation to a light and dark chamber as an extra variable or “choice”.
Release the woodlice into the chambered tray and watch where they go.
At intervals of 1 minute, count how many woodlice there are in each chamber and note down the results on a recording sheet. This is harder than it sounds and is a nice problem-solving activity if you have the time!
At the end of the experiment (we suggest 5 minutes minimum), count up your results and discuss any patterns of behaviour. If all goes well, you should find that most woodlice prefer the dark, damp conditions to light and dry.
It is thought that the ancestors of woodlice came from the sea. Modern woodlice dry out very quickly if they’re out in the open, and if they dry out, they die. Woodlice even have primitive gills on their undersides, which absorb oxygen in damp and wet conditions.
These 14-legged friends are worthy members of our Monsters section. Let us know if you carry out this woodlouse experiment, and please share your results, pictures and photographs.
Members of our education team can set up and lead a woodlouse workshop for you, in school or at our HQ in Shrewsbury. This introduces and builds upon pupils knowledge of habitats, keys, adaptations and life cycles.
We also have bugpots, tweezers, hand lenses and fold out woodlouse keys for sale in our shop.
Please call us on 01743 284284, or leave an email request here.
Anyone for Extra Protein?
Incidentally, I have found a website from Key Stage 4 students in New Zealand, which explores a whole new use of woodlice- as ingredients in scones and sushi! Click here if you dare!
A typical January day. The rain is horizontal and the wind, gale force. Everyone and everything looks grey, wet and miserable. Will it ever be sunny? Do we really need this much rain?
