Life can feel overwhelming, and sometimes you just want to curl up into a ball and shut everything out. That's what these Isopods do, thanks to their segmented body structure. The animal curls its body up into a ball, drawing its antennae inside to form an uninterrupted sphere. Zoologists call the behavior "conglobulation.” Conglobulation can be triggered by strong vibrations or pressure and offers protection from predators such as shrews and spiders.

Members of the family Armadillidiidae have overlapping plates called "tergites" that are connected by flexible joints. The tergites allow the body to roll up inwards. To roll up, they have muscles called "pleopods" that contract the abdominal tergites inwards.

Other animals who can conglobulate include armadillos and cuckoo wasps. Pill millipedes, which look similar but are unrelated, do not conglobulate.

Armadillidiidae are actually a type of crustacean. Imagine if shrimp lived above water and walked on land. Or a pod of lobsters, or a parade of prawns meandering across the forest understory. They have gill-like structures, and typically 14 legs.

This animal is also commonly referred to as a roly-poly bug, slater, butchy boy, butcher boy, Carpenter, Chiggy Pig, Parsons Pig(!), potato bug, cellar bug, doodle bug, and the list goes on. They are small, and sometimes (agricultural) pests when their numbers explode, but they are not bugs; they are crustaceans.

Armadillidiidae primarily feed on decaying plant matter, such as leaves, and to a lesser extent, wood fibers. So, they do the world a service as recyclers. They may also consume living plants, particularly in moist conditions, where they may nibble on leaves, stems, shoots, roots, tubers, and fruits. Some species even supplement their diet with decaying animal flesh or feces, along with shed snakeskin and deceased insects when necessary. This dietary diversity plays a role in slowing down the decomposition of litter, thereby aiding in the retention of organic material in the soil. Consequently, Armadillidiidae contribute to ecosystem balance as detritivores, helping maintain the carbon content in the soil. And they look cool doing it.

The next time life gets to be too much, you can curl up for a time out too.