Cockroach facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Cockroach |
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| Common household cockroaches A) German cockroach B) American cockroach C) Australian cockroach D&E) Oriental cockroach (♀ & ♂) |
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Blaberidae |
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Cockroaches are a type of insect. They belong to a group called Blattodea, which also includes termites. There are about 4,600 different kinds of cockroaches in the world.
Only about 30 of these kinds live near people. And only about four types are known as pests. This means they can cause problems for humans.
Cockroaches are a very old group of insects. They have been around for at least 320 million years! This makes them one of the oldest living insects. They have simple chewing mouth-parts.
These insects are very common and tough. They can live in many different places. This includes very cold Arctic areas and very hot tropical regions.
Some cockroaches, like the German cockroach, live in groups. They share homes and help each other. They can even recognize their family members.
People have known about cockroaches since ancient times. Many people think of them as dirty pests. But most kinds of cockroaches are harmless. They live in nature all over the world.
The oldest cockroach fossils are from 354 to 295 million years ago. A science student once found a giant 9 cm (3.5 in) long fossil cockroach. It was 300 million years old and found in a coal mine in Ohio.
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What Do Cockroaches Look Like?
Most cockroaches are about the size of your thumbnail. But some kinds are much bigger! The heaviest cockroach in the world is the Australian giant burrowing cockroach. It can grow up to 9 cm (3.5 in) long. It can also weigh more than 30 grams (1 oz).
Cockroaches have a small head and a flat, wide body. Most are reddish-brown to dark brown. They have large compound eyes. They also have two small simple eyes and long, bendy antennae. Their mouth-parts are under their head. They use them for chewing food.
Their body has three parts in the middle and ten parts in the back. Their outer skin is a tough exoskeleton. It protects their insides and helps their muscles work. This skin is also covered in wax to keep water away.
Cockroaches have two pairs of wings. The first pair is tough and protects the second pair. The second pair of wings is thin and used for flying.
They have three pairs of strong legs. Each leg has five claws. The front legs are the shortest, and the back legs are the longest. The back legs help them run fast. The spines on their legs help them move on tricky ground. Scientists have even used these leg designs to create robot legs!
Where Do Cockroaches Live?
Cockroaches live all over the world. They are especially common in hot, tropical places. But they can also survive in very cold temperatures. Some can even live in temperatures as low as −122 °C (−188 °F)! They do this by making a natural antifreeze in their bodies.
They live in many different places in nature. Many hide in piles of leaves or rotting wood. They can also be found under logs or in tree stumps. Some live in dry areas and can survive without much water.
Other cockroaches live near water. They can even dive underwater to find food! Most of these breathe by sticking their abdomen (back end) out of the water like a snorkel. Some carry a bubble of air under their body when they go underwater.
Some cockroaches live high up in the forest canopy. They hide in cracks or dead leaves during the day. At night, they come out to find food.
Amazing Cockroach Abilities
Cockroaches are known for being very tough insects. Some can stay active for a whole month without food! They can also survive on very little, like the glue on a postage stamp. Some can even hold their breath for 45 minutes.
A cockroach can become an adult in 3 to 4 months. They can live for up to one year. A female German cockroach can lay 8 egg cases in her life. Each egg case can have 30 to 40 eggs!
You might have heard a story that cockroaches could survive a nuclear war. It's true that cockroaches can handle more radiation than humans. They can survive six to 15 times more radiation than people.
This is because of how their cells divide. Cells are most harmed by radiation when they are dividing. A cockroach's cells only divide when it molts (sheds its skin). This happens at most once a week for a young cockroach. So, not all cockroaches would be molting at the same time. This means many would not be harmed by a sudden burst of radiation. But long-lasting radiation would still be bad for them.
Because they are easy to raise and tough, cockroaches are used in science labs. Scientists study them to learn about how brains work. They also study their reproduction and how they act in groups.
Cockroaches are good for school science projects too. They are large and simple to keep in a lab. This makes them great for both research and student studies.
Cockroaches and People
Cockroaches can eat human and pet food. They can also leave a bad smell behind. They can carry tiny pathogenic microbes on their bodies. This is especially true in places like hospitals.
Cockroaches are also linked to allergic reactions in people. One thing that causes allergies is a protein called tropomyosin. These allergens can also make asthma worse. In Chicago, about 60% of people with asthma are also allergic to cockroaches.
Cockroaches as Food
In Western countries, many people find cockroaches disgusting. But in many other parts of the world, people eat them! Cockroaches that are pests might carry germs. But cockroaches raised in clean lab conditions can be healthy food.
To make them safe to eat, pest cockroaches can be kept by themselves. Then they are fed only apples and lettuce to clean them out.
In Mexico and Thailand, people remove the heads and legs. Then they might boil, fry, grill, or dry the rest.
In China, cockroaches are becoming popular as medicine. So, more and more cockroach farms are opening. The cockroaches are fried twice in hot oil. This makes them crispy on the outside and soft like cottage cheese inside. Fried cockroaches are also ground up and sold as pills. These pills are used for stomach, heart, and liver problems.
Images for kids
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A Turkestan cockroach (Shelfordella lateralis) next to an approximately 108-million-year-old fossil cockroach from the Cretaceous Period.
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A 40- to 50-million-year-old cockroach in Baltic amber (Eocene)
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Cockroaches in research: Periplaneta americana in an electrophysiology experiment
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Madagascar hissing cockroaches kept as pets
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3 millimeter cockroach nymph
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Female Periplaneta fuliginosa with ootheca
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Empty ootheca
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American cockroach oothecae
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