Rolling up as a Defense
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| When in danger, pill bugs are able to use their segmented bodies to roll up into little pea-sized balls. |
Three-banded armadillos and pangolins are not the only armored animals that roll up in the face of danger. small, armadillo-like invertebrates called pill bugs roll up, too. pill bugs are crustaceans, a group of animals that includes shrimp, crabs, and lobsters. the word crustacean comes from a latin word meaning “crust” or “shell.” it refers to the hard exoskeletons of these animals.
A pill bug can roll up so tightly that it looks like a small gray pea. sowbugs are related to pill bugs, but cannot roll up. they must scurry away to escape predators such as spiders and centipedes. pill millipedes and some kinds of cockroaches also can roll up when in danger.
Many snakes also curl up in a ball when threatened. one group of snakes, the ball pythons, is named for this behaviour.
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