Is there a creature in the world more disgusting to man and with a worse reputation than a cockroach? This immortal scavenger, which spreads the poison and poisons our lives, is so indestructible that it is the only one likely to survive in the post-apocalyptic world, and even radiation after a nuclear explosion will be nothing to him. So we think.
Is this insect guilty of all the mortal sins that it is accused of, or is much of this nothing more than a myth?
Why do we not love them?
No one can make us love them and consider them pretty cute creatures. Nevertheless, it is worth sorting out such an interesting question as the truth and cockroach myths.
Most people know only the domestic varieties of these insects, which can appear anywhere - from the kitchen sink, from crevices, on the floor and in the cupboard with dishes. It is this circumstance that causes an absolute aversion to uninvited guests. A person fights them by all known means and suffers defeat after defeat. That's really - the enemy of the human race.
But this attitude is formed purely on an emotional level. What kind of creature is this?
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The reality is
They exist absolutely everywhere in the world: in tropical forests and in deserts, not to mention regions with a mild, humid climate. Unless they are not in Antarctica, at least no one has seen them there. Their abundance is observed in the tropics, at low altitudes with high temperature indicators. And there is such a species (Eupolyphaga everestiana) that feels great in extreme conditions, for example, on Mount Everest at an altitude of 5000 m above sea level. Needless to say, this is a place of eternal glaciers?
In nature, there are 4800 species of cockroaches. Of these, no more than 30 have any harmful qualities. That is less than 1%. And these three dozen managed to cast a shadow on the reputation of thousands of completely harmless relatives.
You can draw an analogy with mammals. If the aversion to rats and mice, which among the class is an insignificant percentage, is extended to the whole variety of mammals, what will happen to us? However, the topic of our article is specific - cockroaches.
Big and small
Such a difference in habitats and living conditions, of course, implies the diversity of species, shapes and sizes of these insects.
If we talk about contrasts, then the smallest is considered to be a Texas ant (Attaphila fungicola). This tiny, just a few millimeters, blind and wingless cockroach lives in North America in the nests of leaf-cutting ants. On the body of its owners, it can be transferred to another place of residence.
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Unlike this baby, the giant Megaloblatta blaberoides cockroach boasts a colossal wingspan of more than 18 cm. But this is not the largest specimen. There is a giant digging cockroach native to Queensland, Australia. This wingless creature has a length of about 8 cm and a weight of more than 30 grams. Imagine an insect that easily occupies most of your palm - unless, of course, you decide on such a feat! But this huge rhino is absolutely harmless, it eats only bark and fallen leaves.
About the benefits of cockroaches
What are you saying? What is the use of these vile creatures?
Nevertheless, they play their positive role as ecologists, feeding on decaying organic substances and thereby making useful nutrients more accessible to other organisms.
And then, no matter how insulting it may sound to the ears of a civilized European, some types of cockroaches for many people on the globe are a delicious snack. This largely explains why certain groups of insects evolved. They chose a simple way to avoid the fate of being eaten.
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Evolution as a self-defense
There is a version that many of their signs acquired cockroaches in the process of evolution, and it was for self-defense. So, banana cockroaches (Panchlora) chose the simplest approach - camouflage: they are green, and this helps them to harmonize with the environment.
Individuals of the genus Perisphaerus have the ability to roll into a protective ball, like armadillos. Representatives of the Filipino cockroach species (Prosoplecta) turned out to be even more cunning - they successfully mimic under ladybugs. It’s convenient, beautiful, and most importantly safe: a person will not crush, and the bird will not eat. In order to achieve a rounded shape of a ladybug, a cockroach wraps its hind wings, like an umbrella, around itself.
There are more aggressive ways to protect yourself. For example, a Pacific cockroach beetle can open fire from a defensive spray when danger is approaching. And Madagascar hissing cockroach makes frightening sounds, scaring off enemies.
Bred like cockroaches
So they say for good reason. With such a rich experience of survival, these insects have come up with a lot of original ways to increase their reproductive function.
But mostly cockroaches reproduce sexually. After mating, the female lays 35-45 eggs in a sac, which she carries with her until the offspring is completely hatched. It is interesting that she can store the gametes of the male for a long time, and for repeated laying of the eggs she does not necessarily need the participation of the male. It all depends on the conditions.
Some species release larvae, which after turn into cubs. But the Pacific cockroach beetles incubate eggs directly with the brood bag, without carrying it with you. But after the birth of live cubs, the female feeds them with milk secretion. In other species, the cubs huddle under the wing of their mother. It looks touching if you do not know that little vampires drink her blood, cutting her body with razor-sharp jaws.
