Streetlights Are Trapping Thousands of Isopods in Mysterious “Death Spirals”

Israeli researchers found that vertical white streetlights can trigger thousands of land isopods to move in large circular groups at night.

The behavior was observed in Armadillo sordidus, newly recorded in the Jezreel Valley and the Golan Heights, with egg-carrying females often among the aggregations.

Experiments ruled out magnetic fields and UV light; white light was the reliable driver of the motion.

The study suggests artificial night lighting disrupts normal shelter-seeking behavior and may expose these animals to predators, highlighting a new effect of light pollution.