Do cockroaches give you the heebie-jeebies? Have no fear! You will often meet our Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches at the mobile Encounter Cart, where you will learn just how friendly these animals can be!
Home Range: Madagascar
Habitat: Moist tropical forests; found under dead bark and in decaying vegetation
Wild Diet: Opportunistic scavengers
Life span: Usually 2-3 years; occasionally up to 5 years
Insects breathe using special structures called “spiracles;” external tracheal openings that line the segments of their abdomen. When these cockroaches “hiss,” they do it by forcing air rapidly out of their spiracles.