Study Finds Pillbugs Feed on Human Corpses
Posted on January 25, 2015
Pillbugs (Armadillidiidae) have been found eating human corpses. The cute and tiny crustaceans which also go by the name roly poly. They are sometimes kept as pets by children. Pillbugs are known for their ability to roll themselves up into a ball when they are threatened.
The pillbugs seem harmless enough but they apparently also like to snack on decomposing human bodies according to a new study. The are not known for biting live humans. The AAS journal Science reports that a new study found pillbugs came to munch a decaying corpse in Texas. The same study also found a bush cricket eating the corpse. Science says the behavior has never been observed in either species before.
The study was published here in the Journal of Medical Entomology. The data was collected during the examination of the decomposition of a set of human remains in San Marcos, Texas at the Forensic Anthropology Center at Texas State. The body was placed nude in a field where it was exposed to anthropods. The body was examined every eight hours.
This kind of research is very useful in forensics. The study warns that the marks left on the human remains by the pillbugs and bush crickets could potentially be misinterpreted by forensic experts. The article says the marks could be seen as evidence of "attack, abuse, neglect, or torture" by mistake. The image above taken by the authors shows the pillbug feeding and the tiny mark it left on the corpse as a result. More images can be seen here in the PDF of the report.