Gisborne cockroach
The Gisborne cockroach is a big, shiny, dark brown cockroach. It has pale stripes along the sides of its head. Unlike many cockroaches, it has no wings at all.
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Fun facts
It got its name from the town of Gisborne in New Zealand, where it was first found there.
It probably travelled from Australia to New Zealand hidden in a ship full of logs.
When it gets cold, it likes to creep into roofs and the gaps inside walls to stay warm.
If it is bothered, it can make a smelly liquid to keep enemies away.
Most asked questions about Gisborne cockroach
?Is the Gisborne cockroach dangerous?
No. It is thought to be harmless and does not usually spoil food.
?How big is a Gisborne cockroach?
It can be from 2 to 4.5 centimetres long, which is big for a cockroach.
For bug experts
- Scientific name
- Drymaplaneta semivitta
- Group
- Cockroaches and termites
- Family
- Blattidae
- Classification
- Insecta > Blattodea > Blattidae
- Lives on
- Australia and Oceania
Where the facts come from
- Drymaplaneta semivitta (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 Stuart Cunningham. CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.
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