However, it is thought that the woodlice must have evolved much earlier. Of this main 37 species there are 5 very common species that have country-wide distribution. The beneficial effects of these creatures certainly outweighs any damage that they do. Woodlice belong to a group of animals known as decomposers, they chew dead wood and plants and deposit these as faecal pellets which decompose rapidly, speeding up the decomposition process and quickly adding essential nutrients to the earth. Predators Woodlice have many natural predators, forming a large part of the diet to some creatures and an occasional snack to others.
Common shrews are know to consume vast numbers of woodlice.
Little owls and foxes are also known to include them in their diets. This spider is quite common in the south of England, seizing woodlice in it's pincer-like jaws and injecting them with a poison that kills the woodlouse in a few seconds. Less of a threat, but still woodlice predators, are centipedes, harvestmen and some beetles. The woodlice is even in danger of attack by its own kind, occasionally during the moulting period. During this moult the woodlice's body is very soft and vulnerable and, especially in cultures, other woodlice will eat them.