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The Guardian - UK

Environment

Patrick Barkham

‘Bumbling, mumbling’ tidiers of our world: the unexpected superpowers of the common woodlouse

United States Pollution

A woodlouse — The woodlouse hasn’t needed to make many design refinements over the years because it found such a useful niche from the start. Illustration: Petra Korlević/The Guardian

Chucky pig. Slater. Monkey pea. Roly-poly. Boat-builder. Butchy boy. Cheeselog. Hobbling Andrew. Wood pig. If there were a prize for the range and joyfulness of a creature’s English-language names, the humble woodlouse would undoubtedly triumph over its million-plus invertebrate rivals.

Over centuries of easy cohabitation with humans, it has acquired more than 300 regional names in Britain alone, and many more in other languages (such as Gwrach y Coed, “witch of the wood”, in Welsh).

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