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Pill Bugs

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Pill Bugs
Lap Report: Pill Bugs

Abstract
The sow bug, also called the pill bug, is an isopod that does not have a wide range of items that it likes to eat. In the experiment we were trying to see how the pill bug reacted with certain man made substances and two substances that they would find in their everyday habitat. We tested ketchup, orange juice, sand, baking soda, flour and water. The pill bugs did not like the ketchup and orange juice I believe because of the strong acidic smell and it didn’t like the baking soda because of the texture. The pill bugs didn’t have a problem with the water and sand because those two are found in the everyday life. The data that we found did not fully support our hypothesis. The pill bugs are very simple isopods that reacted well with the sand because that substance is found in their habitat.

Introduction I

The pill bug is an isopod that is known by a few different names. Some people call them pill bugs, sow bugs, and potato bugs. Pill bugs are not insects they are isopods. The difference between the two can be found out by looking at the bugs side by side. Isopods have two antennas but insects have only one. Another difference is the amount of legs that isopods have. Isopods have seven sets of legs while most insects have only three sets. Pill bugs do not eat much but when they do eat, it is mainly dead or decaying animals. They also eat through wet paper towels and they will eat small holes into egg cartons. Pill bugs do not live out in the open, but the mainly live under rocks and logs where the soil is moist and the air is warm. Another interesting thing about the pill bug is the way it smells things. They have a sense of smell in their feet. So if they want to smell something they will go up to the thing they want to smell and they will walk through it. Pill bugs are not fast, so when they are attacked they can’t run away from attackers. They have to protect themselves by curling up in a ball and



Citations: Brusca, Richard C., and Gary J Brusca. 2003. Invertebrates. Sinauer Associates, Inc., Publishers

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