Turbo
Hissing cockroach
Gromphadorhina portentosa
Born:
2024
Madagascar
Native range:
My story:
Turbo is one of hundreds of Madagascan hissing cockroaches living together in an enormous colony. Their home resembles a dark cave system, filled with sheltered spaces where they can gather, climb and hide away from the light.
The colony forms my animal cabin’s very own recycling team. When another animal leaves behind a suitable part of its meal, whether that is fruit, vegetables or animal food, the cockroaches make sure it does not go to waste. Food that would otherwise be discarded is rapidly investigated and steadily broken down by thousands of hungry little mouths.
People often imagine every cockroach to be a dirty household pest, but Turbo and his relatives are completely different. They are large, wingless forest insects with beautiful polished armour in shades of mahogany, amber and black. They are gentle, fascinating animals that perform the same essential job as countless wild decomposers—helping to recycle nutrients from material that would otherwise be wasted.
DId you know?
Could a cockroach really survive a nuclear explosion? Not quite—the intense heat and force of the blast would kill any cockroach close enough. However, cockroaches can tolerate considerably more radiation than humans, although sufficiently high doses will still kill them.
Even more remarkably, a cockroach can remain alive for days—and potentially several weeks—without its head! It breathes through openings called spiracles along its body rather than through its mouth, while clusters of nerve cells distributed throughout its body continue controlling basic movements. Its open circulatory system also allows the neck wound to seal without catastrophic blood loss. Eventually, however, the headless cockroach dies because it cannot drink.