Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches

Eww what are those? Is usually the reaction whenever anyone sees these little critters, however we don’t think they are icky at all. These guys get their name because of where they come from (Madagascar) and how they defend themselves. Their mouths are actually only designed for eating, not defending, so their only defense is hissing. Madagascar hissing cockroaches live in big colonies so when you approach a colony and a bunch of these guys are hissing at you all at once, it actually sounds a little intimidating. Most animals leave them alone because they don’t want to chance the possibility of running into the giant animal that could be making that noise. Here at Wildworks they serve two purposes. One, is to be educational ambassadors, yes, even these guys have something to teach. Their second purpose is to be food. Certain animals, like Myrtle the turtle, have specific needs for their diet, and cockroaches are the perfect healthy protein for her.