The Gromphadorhina portentosa, commonly known as the Madagascar hissing

cockroach, is the largest species of cockroach in the world. It is in the phylum Arthropod along
with other insects, crustaceans, and spiders. It is ectothermic, or cold-blooded, meaning its body
temperature adjusts to the outside conditions.
The cockroach is typically brown or black in color. Its body is covered in a smooth, thick,
hard exoskeleton; it has a pair of antennae but no wings. It is two to three inches long, about an
inch wide, and weighs eight tenths of an ounce. It has sticky feet to help it walk on slick surfaces
easily. Male Madagascar hissing cockroaches have horns located behind the head called pronatal
humps. Although many cockroaches can scurry very fast, these are quite slow, creeping along the
ground.
Both male and female Madagascar hissing cockroaches possess breathing pores called
spiracles which exhaust air, causing a hissing sound. Because of this, hissing cockroaches are the
only insects that actually hiss. This hiss is used in communications, cries of alarm, fights
between males, and courtship and mating rituals.
These cockroaches live on the rainforest floor in eastern Madagascar. Other animals in
this habitat include the panther chameleon, the Malagasy leaf-nosed snake, and many species of
lemur. Plants such as the bird nest epiphyte, the orchid, and the travelers tree. The rainforests
temperature ranges from sixty-eight to ninety-three degrees Fahrenheit. Fifty to two hundred
sixty inches of rain fall each year, and the soil is clay with phosphorus, potassium, and calcium.
The Madagascar hissing cockroach is an herbivore and a scavenger, eating both plants
and decaying animals. It eats leaves, seeds, grains, nuts, fruits, lichens, fungus, and other smaller

insects. Arachnids, tenrecs, lemurs, birds, lizards, snakes, and frogs are some predators of the
cockroach. It does not have much competition for nutrition other than other roaches.
Madagascar hissing cockroaches reproduce ovoviviparously; the eggs hatch within the
mothers body, then are born live. The gestation period is two months, and fifteen to forty eggs
are born. They can breed up to thirty times in a lifetime. The cockroaches develop in incomplete
metamorphosis, starting as an egg, then becomes a nymph, then molts six times in six months
before becoming an adult. The average lifespan is two to three years, although many live up to
five years. They are nocturnal, being awake mainly at night.
The roaches live in large colonies with smaller colonies inside it. One dominant male is
in each of the smaller colonies, and other males cannot enter unless they fight and defeat the
dominant.
Often in Hollywood movies and television shows, when a roach is seen scuttling across
the ground or creepily crawling around, a Madagascar hissing cockroach is used. Because these
insects are so large, they make for good props in scary movies.
The roach benefits man and the environment by eating dead and decaying plants and
animals. It recycles the nutrients from its prey back into the ground, causing new flora to grow. It
also removes the rotting material from the habitat, making things cleaner for other animals.
Madagascar hissing cockroaches roaches are kept as pets by many people. They are
housed in a tank with cardboard and wood for hiding places. They are said to be good pets
because they mostly take care of themselves, they do not fly and cannot escape, and they cannot
bite or harm humans in any way.