Both the common pill bug and the common rough woodlouse are originally from southern europe and northern africa.
Pill Bug Roly Poly. If they are the common pillbug (armadillidium vulgare), when you touch them they may roll themselves. Armadillidiidae is a family of woodlice, a terrestrial crustacean group in the order isopoda.
Woodlouse Project Noah from lh6.ggpht.com
They are great to learn about and fun to carefully experiment so what is the deal with pill bug names?! Thorax composed of seven hard overlapping plates with seven pairs of legs here are some links to information on their care. I wanted it to be flexible as much as possible, so i could not crochet it solid.
Pill bugs feed on organic matter and hide under debris.
Roly poly bugs are known by a variety of names, including pill bug, sow bug and potato bug. They do not damage household items or deposit eggs indoors. A pill millipede (unrelated to the pill bug). I note that wikipedia has a long list of names for these critters.
