this post was submitted on 06 Dec 2024
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Science Memes

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[–] [email protected] 39 points 2 months ago (2 children)
[–] voracitude 17 points 2 months ago (3 children)

Man, what the fuck did the roly polys do the the Netherlands?!

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 months ago (1 children)

They piss in our beds! grrr

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago

"I swear, it was these bugs!"

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 months ago (1 children)

https://thimsternisse.com/healing-magic/

Apparently they fed them to kids as a cure for wetting the bed.

[–] voracitude 3 points 2 months ago

Yeah fair, I'd have a bit of anger too if I'd been force-fed woodlice as a child.

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[–] [email protected] 38 points 2 months ago (4 children)

What's with all these weird names for a pill bug.

[–] [email protected] 76 points 2 months ago (4 children)

It's called a roly-poly and I will tolerate no disagreement, good day to you

[–] TwoBeeSan 39 points 2 months ago (1 children)

They roly and they poly. No better names exist.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 2 months ago

I would've been with you until I saw Grumper Pig.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I'll accept carpet shrimp.

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[–] AngryCommieKender 3 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Re: your username: Is a Replicant Batty Coda just a normal Batty Coda? He's already a cyborg with crappy/ intermittent reception.

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago (1 children)
[–] JackFrostNCola 3 points 2 months ago
[–] [email protected] 15 points 2 months ago (2 children)

This is the first time I've heard anyone call them anything other than a woodlouse

[–] [email protected] 14 points 2 months ago

You must be referring to the Woodlouse Hunter which hunts... *checks notes ...Granny Grunters.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

I only ever called them woodlouses when I learned that name as a teenager because everyone here always called them "roly-polies" or "potato bugs."

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[–] [email protected] 30 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Their family name is Armadillidae (arm-a-dill-a-dee) which also just sounds silly

[–] [email protected] 21 points 2 months ago

Aww, tiny armadillos!

[–] [email protected] 16 points 2 months ago

Armadillidae

Not to be confused with Armadillidiidae.

🙃

[–] [email protected] 29 points 2 months ago

It's a Roly Poly btw.

[–] Heavybell 24 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Probably the cutest insect, and they do us no harm. Unshocking they have a collection of amusing names.

[–] [email protected] 22 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Apparently, they're not actually insects, but rather crustaceans.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodlouse

[–] [email protected] 7 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Crustaceans are basically ocean insects, fite me

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[–] Heavybell 2 points 2 months ago

That's actually not shocking either! Nice, thanks for the info :)

[–] [email protected] 19 points 2 months ago

It's because they roll up into a cute little ball and it tickles us in a way nothing else does

[–] Fjern 15 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

Norwegian, a loved one goes by many names..

Melkedyr: Milk bugs

Benkebitere: Bench biters

Kaffetroll: Coffee trolls

Munkebiller: Monk beetles

Kaffelus: Coffee lice

Munkelus: Monk lice

Moldokser: Mold oxen

Kaffedyr: Coffee bugs

Tusselus: Goblin lice

Paddelus: Toad lice

Potetroll: Potato trolls

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 months ago

note to self: don't buy coffee in Norway

[–] [email protected] 14 points 2 months ago (4 children)

This is a weird question but everyone else could smell these, right? Like a weird bitter, musty smell. That post about people smelling ants a while back made me wonder what other bugs not all people smell.

[–] [email protected] 22 points 2 months ago (1 children)

They excrete ammonia through their exoskeleton because they don't actually pee! I've only noticed a smell from them when they're in large groups. They may be a bit smelly, and a lot of people mislabel them as insects, but they're actually terrestrial isopods and are related to crabs and shrimps!

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 months ago

Welp, that explains why the Netherlands calls these bugs "bedpissers"

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Yeah they smell like stinky wood/almonds to me.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago

stinky wood/almonds

Isn't almonds also the scent reported by those genetically-equipped to smell cyanide?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago (2 children)

Not me! Do you smell ants? I think it’s a genetic trait.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

Certain ants are pretty distinct. Thatch ants spray formic acid as a defense, and will have a sour smell (and taste, or so I've been told). Odoriferous house ants are named so for obvious reason, and smell (to me) like pen ink. Assuming they taste terrible, but I dunno anyone who's tasted one.

Also, for what it's worth, my entomologist father refers to the thread's subject as "sow bugs", so that's how I know them, but pill bugs and rolly polly are common here.

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I’ve never noticed an ant smell, if I had to guess I’d assume it’s some different chemical I’m picking up on from the pill bugs.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I think so! I love them but I haven’t smelled them. What’s your stance on cilantro? I love genetic smell/taste traits.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

I’m a soap-taster, unfortunately, but it smells really good to me! I just wish it tasted like it smelled

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago

I don’t think it is, but I wonder if it’s related?! Neat!

I wish it tasted to you like it does to me :c I LOVE cilantro!

[–] cholesterol 2 points 2 months ago

Doesn't ring a bell. Earwigs have a distinct smell, though.

[–] Sam_Bass 8 points 2 months ago (2 children)
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[–] SpaceNoodle 8 points 2 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago

They’re good lil guys

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Me in Australia: Now that's a real Butchy boy.

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[–] TastyWheat 5 points 2 months ago

Forbidden boba

[–] RebekahWSD 4 points 2 months ago

I was taught they were called pill bugs. Although I knew them as also roly polys. My mother called them pill bugs, the other kids called them roly polys.

She told me it was an east coast versus west coast name and clearly is more "every group of people had decided they wanted to name this thing themselves" XD

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 months ago

I mean I have a pair of aquatic sowbugs I've been keeping in an empty yogurt cup. They look like regular sowbugs but they're underwater, hence aquatic sowbug.

[–] DragonsInARoom 2 points 2 months ago

It does have a hard back

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 months ago

hey Smooth Randy

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