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Sticker of Zebra pill bug
Bug card No. 1499 of 1,500

Zebra pill bug

Armadillidium maculatum
Name means: “maculatum means spotted”
Eats: Leftovers and dead thingsWoodliceGardens and meadows14 legsNot an insect, but a bug cousin

The zebra pill bug is a woodlouse with black and white stripes, just like a zebra. When it gets scared, it rolls up into a hard little ball. It is a busy cleaner that turns old leaves back into food for the soil.

Fun fact: woodlice are not insects. They are crustaceans, cousins of crabs and shrimps, that live on land.
Lives in
A small part of southeastern France and Monaco, and as a pet all over the world
Length
1.8 cm (0.71 in)
Top speed
about 0.18 km/h (0.11 mph)
On foot, estimate
Can it hurt you?
Harmless
Harmless. It has no bite and no sting, so it is safe to watch.
What does it eat?
It eats fallen leaves and rotting wood. It also nibbles fresh plants, tree bark, lichens and algae.
For real!Photo of Zebra pill bug
Picture by EthanPo. CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.

How big is it?

How long is it?

Zebra pill bug about 1.8 cm long (0.71 in)A grain of rice about 6 mm (0.24 in)A toy building brick about 3.2 cm (1.3 in)A crayon about 9 cm (3.5 in)
as long as 3 grains of rice in a rowit has about 14 legscould run across a dinner table in 20 seconds

How big is Zebra pill bug compared to YOU?

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How fast is it?

cool stuff

Fun facts

1

Its stripes may copy the pill millipede, which tastes nasty. So hungry animals leave the zebra pill bug alone too.

2

When it grows, it sheds its hard skin in two halves, first one and then the other.

3

The mum carries her eggs in a pouch under her belly. Up to a hundred babies can come out at once.

4

It breathes with little gill-like parts, so it needs damp places to live.

5

Pet keepers have bred zebra pill bugs with yellow stripes, white spots or almost all white backs.

you asked

Most asked questions about Zebra pill bug

?Is a zebra pill bug an insect?

No. It is a woodlouse, a land cousin of crabs and shrimps. It has 14 legs, not six.

?What do zebra pill bugs eat?

Mostly dead leaves and rotting wood, plus some fresh plants, bark and algae.

?Can you keep a zebra pill bug as a pet?

Yes. Many people keep them in a damp tank with leaves, because they are easy to care for and harmless.

For bug experts

Scientific name
Armadillidium maculatum
Group
Woodlice
Family
Armadillidiidae
Classification
Malacostraca > Isopoda > Armadillidiidae
Lives on
Europe
Also known as
Zebra isopod, Zebra pillbug

Where the facts come from

  1. Armadillidium maculatum (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
  2. Picture by EthanPo. CC0, Wikimedia Commons. The round sticker of this bug is cut from the same picture.

If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

More from the same group: Woodlice

Common pill bugWoodliceTongue-eating louseWoodliceGiant isopodWoodliceSea slaterWoodliceCommon rough woodlouseWoodliceWharf roachWoodlice

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