Scientists warn online isopod trade is driving poaching of rare species
Scientists are warning that a robust, largely unregulated online trade in isopods — small crustaceans often kept as pets — is driving poaching of rare species, according to a New York Times report published Jan. 28, 2026. Collectors at a pet expo in White Plains, N.Y., paid hundreds of dollars for specimens such as the Cuban Spiky.
The Cuban Spiky, Pseudarmadillo spinosus, is prized for rows of sharp spines on its exoskeleton and sold for high prices; a few live specimens were listed for $350 in a small plastic cup at the expo. Researchers say the species is known to exist only in a small Cuban nature reserve, is illegal to import without a special permit and is thought to be critically endangered.
Thousands of enthusiasts in online communities breed and trade isopods, with hobbyists and breeders comparing the pursuit to collecting Pokémon, said David Vargas of Holy-Poly Isopods. A paper published in October in the journal Conservation Biology, co-authored by isopodologists including Pallieter De Smedt and Nathan Jones, warns that demand for live specimens is leading some sellers to poach isopods from protected areas and that the trend could contribute to extinctions and the spread of invasive species.
Marketplaces range from specialist sites to Facebook and Instagram groups; a spokesman for Meta declined to comment and referred to the company’s policy on restricted goods and services, and eBay did not respond to requests for comment. U.S.
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