A cockroach can grow to 2.5 inches and live as long as a human being. While the lifespan of a cockroach is important, what they eat should also be considered when it comes to how long they survive.
Background information:
What do non-domesticated cockroaches eat? Cockroaches that are not kept as pets eat anything and everything. They have been known to feed off of the dead carcasses of other insects. These cockroaches may also feed on decaying plants and even on feces. The cockroach’s diet will change depending upon where they live, their species, and how big they are in size.
History:
The first documented sighting was in China in 540 BC by Lu Ban, who wrote about them in his book Hsiao Ching or Classic of Filial Piety. He noted that a cockroach can travel over 1 mile during its lifetime without ever stopping because the insect has no mouth and does not need food or water to survive. Another Chinese author saw a cockroach attached to a leaf floating down the Yangtze River and she was surprised at the endurance of the insect.
History in the United States:
In the late 1800s, there were cases of roaches being brought on ships from other countries with rats and fleas stowed away on board as cargo. The rats died off quickly but not before they left behind their uninvited travel companions. The cockroaches settled into American soil and multiplied exponentially making them a problem for cities across America to deal with. Cockroaches that are found outdoors will typically have access to dead plants or insects that have been lying around, so they will be able to feed despite less competition than those that are found inside buildings. Outdoors habitats are also free of predators for these cockroaches which makes it easier for them to just snack on whatever they can find.
Roach Fact:
There are around 4,000 different species of cockroaches that exist, but only about 30 of these live near humans. Only one species is a pest found in the United States and it is called the German Cockroach. It gets its name from having been originally discovered in Germany as early as 1742. This type of roach measures 1/2 or 5/8 inches long including their wings when fully mature. Females grow larger than males with their bodies being brownish-red in color while the adult male’s body is mostly light brown in color with some dark brown areas on his back. A white stripe will be found behind each eye and his eyes are small and black in color. The German Cockroach is also the most notorious of all roaches because it is known for carrying disease, may reproduce rapidly, and being a nuisance inside buildings.
History About What Cockroaches Eat:
Cockroaches can eat almost anything that is dry or sugary, but their food preferences will vary depending upon where they live. Other cockroaches prefer eating greasy substances such as fat-based foods, but even this depends on where the species lives. Some cockroaches are scavengers while others feed only on plants and some are predatory hunters. Cockroaches will eat many different types of foods if given the chance to snack at any time during the day including garbage that humans leave out overnight, feces, soil, and other decaying organic matter.
History in Popular Culture:
Roaches can be found in several works of art including books, movies, comic strips, television shows, and more. Some examples are “Dante’s Purgatorio”, “Cockroach Comics” by John Callahan, the animated film A Bug’s Life, a Pinky and The Brain episode featuring cockroaches that were forced to clean up a filthy environment just like Cinderella once did at home before she went to the ball in her stepmother’s high heel shoes.
Cockroaches have been portrayed as villains or heroes in various pieces of art for centuries including popular video games such as Assassin’s Creed II where they are exterminated from the villa while protecting the main character Ezio while he is sleeping only to save his life later when they help him assassinate a man by dropping from the ceiling.