What is a gribble?
Q: What is a gribble?
A: A gribble is a type of marine isopod from the family Limnoriidae.
Q: What color are gribbles?
A: Gribbles are mostly pale white.
Q: How big are gribbles?
A: Gribbles are small, typically 1-4 mm in length.
Q: What do gribbles eat?
A: Gribbles bore into wood and plant material for food, digesting the cellulose in the wood.
Q: Which gribble species are the most destructive?
A: The most destructive gribble species are Limnoria lignorum, L. tripunctata, and L. quadripunctata.
Q: How do gribbles differ from other animals that eat plant fiber?
A: Gribbles are the only animals able to make a cellulase to dissolve plant cell walls without the help of gut bacteria, unlike other animals that eat plant fibers.
Q: What has the discovery about gribbles' ability to digest plant cell walls led biologists to consider?
A: The discovery about gribbles' ability to digest plant cell walls has led some biologists to consider the potential of biofuels.
