Madagascar hissing cockroach
The Madagascar hissing cockroach is a giant brown cockroach as long as a grown-up's finger. It has no wings at all. When something scares it, it makes a loud hiss, a bit like a snake.
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Fun facts
It hisses by pushing air out through the tiny breathing holes on its body.
The males have bumps on their backs and hiss at each other when they argue.
It is a great climber and can even walk up smooth glass.
The mother keeps her eggs inside her body, and the babies come out alive.
Tiny mites live on it and share its food, but they do not hurt it.
Most asked questions about Madagascar hissing cockroach
?Why does the Madagascar cockroach hiss?
To scare away animals that want to eat it. It cannot fly away, so a loud hiss is its best trick.
?Is the hissing cockroach dangerous?
No. It is harmless and many people keep it as a pet.
?How long does a hissing cockroach live?
In captivity it can live up to 5 years.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Gromphadorhina portentosa
- Group
- Cockroaches and termites
- Family
- Blaberidae
- Classification
- Insecta > Blattodea > Blaberidae
- Lives on
- Africa
- Also known as
- Hissing cockroach, Malagasy hissing cockroach, Hisser
Where the facts come from
- Madagascar hissing cockroach (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
- Picture by Almabes at English Wikipedia. Public domain, Wikimedia Commons. The round sticker of this bug is cut from the same picture.
If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
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