They say that cockroaches will be able to survive even in the event of a nuclear war, but this opinion can rather be classified as a myth. However, cockroaches are indeed remarkably resilient, adapting so well to a wide range of environments, which is why they are distributed all over the world.
Interesting facts about cockroaches
- Scientists have documented the presence There are more than 4640 species of cockroaches on Earth. According to modern scientific trends, 2900 varieties of termites are also included in the order of cockroaches.
- The remains of cockroaches and their relatives are the most numerous remains of insects dating from the Paleozoic era, that is, they appeared on Earth more than 540 million years ago (interesting facts about insects).
- The body size of adult cockroaches varies from 1.7 to 9.5 centimeters. Some individuals reach even more impressive sizes.
- Cockroaches have large eyes and 2 small eyes, but species that do not have wings are most often blind.
- Cockroaches are one of the hardiest insects on the planet. Scientists believe that they can survive almost any cataclysm that can happen on Earth.
- Cockroaches can live for a month without food, and the lethal dose of radiation for them exceeds that for humans by 6-15 times. Only fruit flies show greater resistance to radiation.
- Giant cockroaches that live on the island of Madagascar have a body length of 6-10 centimeters and are used for cockroach races. Insects are placed in grooves up to 1.5 meters long, one of the ends of which is brightly lit, and the other is shrouded in darkness. The cockroach that reaches the finish line first and the player who bet on it wins (interesting facts about Madagascar).
- Cockroaches are bred in large numbers in many countries of the world as ornamental insects that require almost no maintenance.
- Cockroach meat contains three times more protein than chicken.
- Cockroaches in sugar are a traditional dessert in Chinese cooking (interesting facts about China).
- Followers of traditional medicine believe in the ability of black cockroaches to heal certain diseases.
- The main villain in the movie “Men in Black” is a huge cockroach from other worlds.
- Sixteen species of cockroaches are on the list of species whose population has reached a dangerously low level, another 8 species are on the verge of extinction, 7 are classified as endangered, and one species is extinct.
- American scientists have found that the cockroach leaves behind a trail of special chemical compounds so that other individuals can quickly find their way to food and water. Now it is planned to develop a means to create an artificial trail that leads cockroaches out of the house without the use of insecticides.
- Red cockroaches, widespread in Europe and Asia, die at -5 degrees, so they can only live in year-round heated rooms. In the old days, they fought with cockroaches, specially cooling the hut for one day – people did not heat the stove and opened the windows wide open so that the frosty air would rid them of insects.
- Red cockroaches are omnivorous – they can eat not only the remains of human food, but also pieces of fabric, paper, leather from shoes and book bindings, and even soap.