ARTHROPOD OF THE WEEK IS…
The Giant Burrowing Cockroach (Macropanesthia rhinoceros) is the largest extant cockroach, though it doesn’t compare to prehistoric cockroaches, it grows to 8 cm in length and weighs 35 g – almost the same weight as a hamster. Despite what you may think about the common pest, the American cockroach (Periplaneta americana), out of 4,500 species, only 30 are pests! The Giant Burrowing Cockroach is highly beneficial to the environment which it lives in, and are adapted to burrowing with their heavily hooked tarsi to shift substrate and consume decomposing plant matter. They are native to Australia and may bury down to approximately 1 metre underground. This species, in the pet trade, are often kept – their environment is easy to replicate and they will breed and reach maturity without complications.