1. Isopods Scientists call them isopods, which means “equal legs.” Other names they are known by are: *roly-poly*pill bug *potato bug*wood louse They are not insects. They are crustaceans, closely related to lobsters, crabs, and shrimp. Most isopods live in water. Our isopods are terrestrial, or land-living isopods.

2. Isopod Bodies Isopods have an oval shaped body. Their head has one pair of antennae and two tiny eyes. Isopods breathe through a special organ (similar to fish gills), so they need moisture at all times. Their bodies are covered by smooth, hard plates, called segments. It looks like a suit of armor because their skeleton is worn on the outside. It is an exoskeleton.

3. Isopods molt, which means they shed their old exoskeleton in order to grow. Isopods get more legs when molt. *6 pairs of legs = young isopod (not yet molted) *7 pairs of legs = older isopod (already molted) They shed ½ of their exoskeleton at a time (front ½first). They shed ½ of their exoskeleton at a time (front ½ first).

4. Isopods are scavengers. They eat dead and decaying plants. Isopods have many predators, including birds, lizards, and spiders. To protect themselves, isopods curl up into a ball. Female isopods may lay up to 200 eggs in her brood pouch. How many legs will each baby have? 6 pairs

5. Crickets Crickets are insects. Our crickets are called house crickets. Crickets eat plants, so they are consumers. (Farmers call them pests because they do so much damage to crops.) Crickets are food for many animals, such as birds, snakes, lizards, frogs, and toads.

6. Cricket Bodies Cricket bodies have three parts: *head*thorax *abdomen The Head Attached to the cricket’s head are: *two eyes *chewing mouth parts *antennae—almost as long as its whole body (They use them to feel, taste, smell, and test humidity and temperature)

7. The Thorax Attached to the cricket’s thorax are: *four wings -a very young cricket, a nymph = no wings -a teenage cricket = short wings -an adult cricket = full-grown wings (Only male crickets make a chirping noise, by (Only male crickets make a chirping noise, by rubbing their wings together. rubbing their wings together. They chirp to impress female crickets.) *six legs -each pair is different Crickets can jump up to 2 feet! Crickets can jump up to 2 feet!

8. The Abdomen Attached to the cricket’s abdomen are: *Two spines, projecting from the rear, called cerci. (They are used to sense vibrations in the air and ground.) *only adult females have a third, longer projection, called an ovipositor called an ovipositor -long, dark, needlelike projection -used to place her eggs into the ground

9. Label your isopod antennae segments

10. Label your cricket