Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches can live for 5 years on average.  They are one of the largest species of cockroach.  They can reach up to 4 inches long.  They mainly eat vegetable matter.  Now that you know the basics on this cockroach, you are probably wondering why they hiss.

     As we all know, Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches make a distinctive hissing sound. Have you ever wondered how they do this? Well, they hiss by forcing air through breathing pores, called spiracles. They are the only insects that can make noise like that. Most insects make noise by rubbing different body parts together.  Hissing genes are passed down from generation to generation.

     They have different hisses for different circumstances. They sometimes hiss when they are disturbed. They also have a certain hiss that attracts females. The males hiss when they see females. Males that hiss the loudest are most likely to mate. Their other hiss is used when fighting. A study was conducted in which a male, who could hiss, and a male, whose spiracles were covered, were placed in an enclosure. The male who could hiss almost always won.

     These cockroaches can be kept as pets if you wanted to.  I find these roaches very interesting because of their unique ability to hiss.  I find it weird that they hiss to attract females.  What do you think?

     
   


Information from http://lhsfoss.org/fossweb/teachers/materials/plantanimal/hissingcockroaches.html
                          http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madagascar_hissing_cockroach