Racin’ Roaches

Hissing cockroaches are found on the island of Madagascar, off the eastern coast of Africa. This island is also famous for its chameleons, like our panther chameleon Rango, who would love to snack on one of these large insects. When startled, hissing cockroaches will expel air out of small holes called spiracles along their abdomen, producing their trademark hissing sound. These roaches cannot fly and are completely harmless, eating foods like rotting wood and fruit off the forest floor.

While roach racing is not truly a real sport, it was first invented in 1982 by two rival hotel owners in Australia, who wanted to see which building had the fastest roaches. Our racers are each marked with a small spot of colored nail polish, which is harmless to them and will come off with their exoskeleton during their next molt. In hissing cockroaches, the males are typically a bit larger, and have more protruding "horns" on their head than the females. Do you think the smaller roaches or the larger roaches will have the advantage when it comes to speed? Step up to the racetrack and find out!