I hope everyone is enjoying their long weekend (if you are at work today, then I hope you enjoyed your regular ol’ weekend). So I was going through some pictures on Facebook today and there was a cute one of my 2 year old niece holding a Madagascar Hissing Cockroach (which was part of an exhibit at the Jungle Cat Party). I am still impressed how brave she is since I am not sure if I would have wanted to hold the big, ugly insect. I figured talking about this massive cockroach would be a fun way to start the week. Okay, so maybe my idea of fun is a little messed up but what can you do, right?
The first thing we need to discuss is just how big the Madagascar Hissing Cockroach is. Well this rather large cockroach from Madagascar is typically somewhere between 5 – 7.5 cm (2 – 3″) long. Now this doesn’t sound that big but I want you to measure out 3 inches and then picture that being a cockroach. I bet now you can see why these insects made it onto an episode of Fear Factor (for some reason that episode has always stuck with me). The male Hissing Cockroaches even looks more impressive with their large horns, which gives them a rather unique appearance.
Okay, so why do the males have such cool horns? For the same reason moose have big antlers! That’s right, when two aggressive males meet up, they will enter into battle. And just like our ungulate friends, male Hissing Cockroaches will ram each other with their horns. During these battles there is quite a bit of hissing with the winner hissing much more than the losing cockroach. I guess it is the winners way of smack talking their opponent. This hissing also helps us understand the hierarchy of a Hissing Cockroach colony.
Oh yeah, these large insects will often live in colonies. But don’t worry, for the most part these cockroaches are not pests and don’t generally live in people’s houses. They prefer living on the forest floor where they will feast on fruit and plant material. Just so you know, if they did raid your fridge, a large colony of these cockroaches could consume one large carrot in a day. That may not sound like a big deal but try telling that to the carrot.
That does it for today’s wonderful Wild Fact on the Madagascar Hissing Cockroach. I have to thank my two year old niece, Camryn, for being brave and inspiring today’s Fact! Enjoy the rest of your day, folks.
