PacSciLife: A peek behind the scenes of Pacific Science Center’s Life Sciences Department including the latest news from our famous Tropical Butterfly House, Naked Mole Rat colony, Puget Sound Tidepool, Insect Village, reptiles, amphibians, horticultural displays and much, much more.
Friday, February 10, 2012
Cockroach Spit
Caution: The following article is about whether cockroaches are spitting or vomiting. You may wish to proceed with caution.
If you have ever visited Pacific Science Center’s Insect Village, you may have had an opportunity to handle a Madagascar Hissing Cockroach (Gromphadorhina portentosa). Many people have learned a new appreciation for insects from this contact. Some have overcome longstanding fear of bugs. But few know that the cockroaches have to learn not to fear us, too.
While many legends exist about the ability of cockroaches to survive nuclear disaster, microwave ovens, and other dire fates, the experience of our Life Sciences staff has been that these insects are not invulnerable. They enjoy being treated well and show signs of stress when times get tough, just like any other animal.
Roaches show stress in several ways. Most commonly they hiss (hence their common name) the first few times we handle them, before learning we are safe. We also look for loss of muscle tone, and fighting as signs that the animals need more rest and less work.
But there is another sign of stress that has been observed recently, that got us concerned. A couple of people have seen our roaches emitting bubbles of clear liquid from their mouths during handling. Life Sciences manager Sarah Moore had seen this behavior before. It happened once while treating the roaches for mites, something they really hate. It occasionally happens when a roach is accidentally dropped, or when brand new animals are introduced. But it has been uncommon, and when it happens it is of note.
The usual modes of inquiry turned up very little information about this phenomenon, but we did learn this: The liquid is not vomit, but saliva, which roaches produce in large amounts to help mobilize and digest food. German and American roaches are known to use pheromones in their saliva to attract others of their species and also to communicate danger. Depending on the pheromone, other roaches will either approach or flee from this secretion. It is possible that our roaches are doing the same thing.
At any rate, it was clear that the insect doing this was unhappy, and he was moved out of the handling schedule. We are training staff to report this behavior, which we hope will be as rare in the future as it has been up till now.
Photographer’s note: The clear liquid in the photographs is water. No cockroaches were harmed in the making of this story.
Cockroaches are also a vital role such as wolves and the elk population; they are scavengers. They help break down decay or waste, and therefore help the planet as a whole; and they're quite interesting creatures. They have social networks like people, they argue or make conversation as we do, and they're quite beautiful. The rust coloring of their shells, the intricate and complex way they live and move, I believe they're quite lovely.
ReplyDeleteThis helped me so much as I noticed my lil dude was spitting today and I had lost a cage mate yesterday to unknown causes. I will be changing out their substrate and washing all hides as a result. Is there anything that could cause kids of control in limbs and disorientation?
ReplyDeleteThank you, should you see this!
I grabbed a roach, and plucked its legs and antennae, then I threw it on the ground I have no sympathy for those godless house vermin. But yes, I noticed it spit on my finger twice.
ReplyDeleteimagine if someone plucked your limbs and tore your hair out and threw you on the ground
Deleteu sick piece of shit
DeleteDo you know how nasty roaches are and how many diseases they carry?
DeleteI own a couple of Hissers myself and I love watching them. Yes, places with cockroach infestation are shut down a lot for health and hygiene reasons but you can't blame the cockroaches for it. They are only attracted to the grime to help clean it up, it's what they do - they are literally one of several species known to be janitors in nature alongside springtails and woodlice. They are much cleaner to keep than a dog or even a cat, they don't stink your house out and they don't make a lot of noise either.
ReplyDeleteCool stuff you have got and you keep update all of us.
ReplyDeletescarafaggi
I just had one of my girls do this. Good to know it's a normal behavior, and that I need to leave her be for a while.
ReplyDeleteOne of mine did this today and now I feel bad that she was unhappy being handled :(
ReplyDelete