Cockroaches are one of the most resilient living beings
The first feeling we get when we think of cockroaches is disgust. However, they are in some ways fascinating.
They are said to be the most resilient and adaptable living beings. They date back to the time of dinosaurs, and below you can read about their characteristics that have allowed them to be almost the only ones to survive the nuclear disaster in Chernobyl:
- Body Physiology - They are very agile and flexible - cockroaches can compress their bodies (40-60%) to such an extent that it allows them to pass through the tiniest openings and holes. They first explore the space they will enter with their antennas, and then push their front legs through. They have three pairs of strong legs for exceptionally fast movement. When conditions require it, they can move on just two legs at a speed of 1.5 meters per second. They can withstand a weight up to 900 times their own. It is incredible that a severed leg will regrow after some time, and even more fascinating that they can survive 7 days without a head.
- Their sense of smell is supernaturally sharp and highly developed, allowing them to unmistakably find food remnants in your home.
- They possess an exceptional sense of sight. With their eyes, they can see the space in a full arc, meaning they can see all 360 degrees without needing to turn their head or body.
- They can produce antibiotics themselves, so if they are exposed to feces, bacteria, toxins, and other pathogens, they will remain healthy. They are known to have a strong immune system, making them resistant to various microbes.
- They can eat absolutely anything - plants, dead animals, other insects, cardboard, hair, wood, feces, and surprisingly - each other, meaning they are cannibals and eat other dead cockroaches.
- They have the longest genome of all insects on the planet - this means that over the course of hundreds of millions of years, they have developed great resilience and various survival mechanisms.
- Female cockroaches are very fertile and can lay a large number of larvae from which hundreds and thousands of new individuals will later develop.
- Even though we know they dislike winter, they can adapt and withstand sub-zero temperatures.
- Without food, they can live up to a month, without water up to 7 days, and without air up to 40 minutes.
- A rather strange test was conducted, in which a number of cockroaches were sent to space to test their reactions. The final result of the test showed that the cockroaches from space became, over time, faster, stronger, and heavier than those that lived under normal conditions on Earth.
All of these are characteristics of how cockroaches have survived various extreme situations throughout history and the reason for their incredible survival power from ice ages to nuclear disasters.
Why do cockroaches flip onto their backs?
Did you know these interesting facts about cockroaches?
- Cockroaches also have a positive role in the planetary ecosystem - they release large amounts of gases - especially nitrogen, which makes the soil very fertile.
- Scientists have determined that cockroaches have personality types just like humans.
- They are extremely social and communal beings. If they spend a long time completely alone, they eventually become ill and can die from loneliness.
- They are known for their speed, and in Brisbane, Australia, for the past few decades, a world championship in cockroach racing has been held.
- Rhinoceros cockroach retreats and seeks a new habitat if a black cockroach appears in the house.
- The smallest cockroach that lives in tropical forests in ant nests has a wingspan of only four millimeters, while the largest Madagascar cockroaches are 7cm and Australian ones are 8cm, which can weigh as much as a chicken egg.
- Cockroaches, when they die, lose strength in their muscles and legs and therefore most often die on their backs.
