10 Interesting Facts About Cockroaches
Cockroaches are insects that belong to the Phylum Arthropoda and the Order Blattodea. However, this Order contains a diverse range of species. At the conclusion, you'll find a list of the most common cockroach species (along with their scientific names).
Top 10 facts about Cockroaches
10. Edible Cockroaches
Cockroaches are nutritious, high in protein, and delicious! For most individuals, this is a disgusting concept since they want to keep their hands as far away from their lips as possible. Among all the cockroach facts, this one is the most fascinating. Cockroaches can't manufacture food because they're too filthy. However, if they have been tamed and bred in a safe environment, they can be far safer to utilize.
Cockroach farming is very popular in China. In some regions, a fried cockroach is also served on the streets. Cockroaches can be very fresh, clean, and tasty insects, especially if they are fed fresh fruits and vegetables. Cockroaches are fried, sautéed, boiled, or roasted in Asian countries, particularly in China. Hissing from Madagascar Cockroaches have a fatty chicken flavor and texture.
9. Flying Cockroaches
There are around 3500 species of cockroaches in the globe. And the vast majority of them have wings. However, not all cockroaches have the ability to fly. Brown-banded cockroaches are the only cockroaches known to fly, especially in hot weather. Cockroaches have a cold blooded nature. When the temperature rises, they become more active. They may begin to fly in search of a new home. Other cockroaches, on the other hand, only utilize their wings to glide and flutter for short distances in search of food and water, or to support themselves while jumping from a higher to a lower surface.
The cockroaches that fly are extremely hazardous. While cockroach bites are uncommon, the majority of the threat comes from the spread of viruses and diseases. They can, for example, pick up bacteria that cause diseases like Salmonella and then deposit them on foods, resulting in food poisoning. Because of their size, most flying cockroaches do not rely on flight for survival. Their massive body mass and flight wings make them slow and difficult to manage. Any bird or bat may easily catch a giant slow-flying cockroach. So, despite their ability to fly, they prefer to spend the most of their time running rather than flying.
8. Surviving a Nuclear Holocaust
However, following further research into the effects of three different levels of radiation on German cockroaches, it was shown that cockroaches cannot survive a nuclear explosion. They can, however, withstand far higher levels of radiation. Cockroaches exposed to 1000 rads (radon units) lived, according to research. However, they may have a reduced ability to breed, and amazingly, 10% of cockroaches managed to live.
7. Talking Cockroaches
Apart from the Madagascar Cockroach, the only “talking” bug on the earth, this is primarily a myth. Cockroaches communicate with one another by releasing a foraging pheromone through their stomachs. The Madagascar hissing roaches, interestingly, have a means of blowing air through their breathing tracts to produce the hissing sound for which they are named. When battling a mate or displaying affection when mating, this hissing sound is used to express hostility, especially among males.
The hissing from Madagascar Cockroaches have a distinct technique of emitting hisses. This roach makes sound by forcing air out of its spiracles, which are the respiratory system's breathing pores. This technique of sound creation is more characteristic of the respiratory sound created by vertebrates because the spiracles are involved in respiration.
6. Farting Cockroaches
Cockroaches fart more than any other insect in the planet! In fact, they do it frequently. Cockroaches have the ability to create methane through their respiratory systems. Gases produced as a consequence of digestion are taken into the hemolymph (blood) of the insect and subsequently expelled through its spiracles. All animals that eat a lot of fiber diets are thought to have this behavior. Cockroaches produce more methane than any other bug in proportion to their body weight.
According to a 2012 study, the American cockroach is the fartiest animal in the UK, producing up to 35g of methane per year, or 45 times its body weight! Cockroaches can produce methane for at least 20 hours after death, making them one of the primary contributors to global warming.
5. Headless Cockroaches
The most fascinating aspect of these organisms is that they can survive for several weeks without their heads. This is not a legend, but a terrifying actuality. When a cockroach is decapitated, its circulatory system clogs around the neck, while the remainder of the body continues to circulate normally. The explanation for this is that roaches breathe by spiracles, or tiny openings in their bodies, rather than their heads. In other words, they continue to obtain oxygen to their viral body parts even after being beheaded. What's more remarkable is that the roach's anti-decapitation defense is independent muscle control, which does not rely on brain coordination, which explains why they can keep moving even after being decapitated for weeks.
Furthermore, within each body segment, they have clumps of ganglia-nerve tissue agglomeration-capable of completing the basic functions responsible for their reactions and other responses. They can function without a brain by exploiting tiny reactions. They will eventually starve to death or die of dehydration due to their lack of a mouth to feed. In fact, not only the body but also the lonely head can continue to work for several hours, waving his antennae here and there.
4. Cockroaches being as old as the Dinosaurs
Cockroaches, according to historical records, are older than dinosaurs. As the world's oldest known cockroach, it survived the meteor that killed off the dinosaurs. Cockroach fossils date back to almost 300 million years ago, when life had just moved from the sea to the land. Scientists believe the body structure is comparable to that of current cockroaches. This is another more confirmation that they are among the planet's earliest species.
3. Cockroaches usually dye on their backs
Cockroaches have a flat body with lengthy legs and a slightly rounded and oily back. Because of their long legs, they have a high center of gravity, which means they carry the majority of their weight on their backs. When a cockroach ages, its high center of gravity drags it back toward the floor, and its rounded back and weakening muscles hinder it from regenerating, especially on smooth surfaces. The insecticides we employ to kill cockroaches, on the other hand, have the same effect. Because the majority of these insecticides are neurotoxins, they should be avoided. Tremors, a lack of muscle coordination, and, again, the rounded back and high center of gravity may cause you to become trapped in that position.
2. Cockroaches Allergy
Cockroaches produce a protein that causes allergic reactions in humans. Another interesting truth about cockroaches is that cockroach allergy is a real and serious health issue. Cockroach saliva, feces, and bodies can cause allergic reactions in humans. This is made worse by the fact that they can cause allergic reactions long after they have died. Asthmatics are at the greatest risk of developing this allergy. Skin rashes, coughing, wheezing, and difficulty breathing are all frequent allergy symptoms, as are runny noses, itchy eyes, and other allergic rhinitis symptoms. Oral antihistamines, decongestants, and nasal corticosteroids are some of the medications that can aid with cockroach allergy symptoms. Your doctor will also prescribe anti-inflammatory and bronchodilator medications if you have asthma.
1. Cockroaches can squeeze through the tiniest of gaps
Yes! they can squeeze. These creepy crawlies can squeeze through even the tiniest cracks! Cockroaches can squeeze through a hole as small as a quarter of their body height by flattening their flexible exoskeleton and spreading their legs to the side, thanks to their incredible flexible exoskeletons.
The Scientific Names of the Cockroach.
The American cockroach (Periplaneta americana).
The Australian cockroach (Periplaneta australasiae).
The Florida woods cockroach (Eurycotis floridana).
The Madagascar hissing cockroach (Gromphadorhina portentosa).
The Oriental cockroach (Blatta orientalis).
The German cockroach (Blattella germanica).
The Asian cockroach (Blattella asahinai).
The Surinam cockroach (Pycnoscelus surinamensis).
The brown-banded cockroach (Supella longipalpa).
The smoky brown cockroach (Periplaneta fuliginosa).
The Pennsylvania woods cockroach (Parcoblatta pennsylvanica).
The brown cockroach (Periplaneta brunnea).