Hissing cockroaches are native to the island of Madagascar and are one of the largest cockroach species in the world, growing to 2-3 inches in length. As the name suggests – these cockroaches make a hissing noise by forcing air through tiny holes along the sides of their body called ‘spiracles’.
They hiss for many reasons including to warn off predators, courtship and mating, and when fighting. Males have two horns on top of their exoskeleton for fighting one another. They live on the forest floors and are mostly detritivores, eating decaying plant matter and fruits during the night.
They have an average lifespan of 2-5 years. They moult their exoskeleton 6 times during the first 6 months of life as they grow. Moulting leaves them extremely vulnerable as until the chitin in their shells harden, they are soft and squishy and also white in colour, making them more visible to predators.
