2,446! That’s how many cockroaches we have here at Liberty Science Center (in our enclosure, specifically…not in the building itself!)

Today was our annual Cockroach Count at the Science Center, when our Animal Interpretation Associate (AIA) team spends the entire day counting the number of Madagascar hissing cockroaches we have in our habitat.

We do this for a few different reasons:

• To check on the health of our colony (by comparing the number to last year)
• To change the substrate, or dirt, that the roaches live in
• It’s a lot of fun!

Last year we counted 1,117 cockroaches, meaning the number has more than doubled. Talk about a healthy habitat!

Madagascar hissing cockroaches are insects with six legs and two antennae. They’re called “hissing” cockroaches because they can make a hissing sound when they are scared by sending out air from spiracles, or breathing holes, on the sides of their bodies. Our roaches eat fruits and vegetables, which is what they would do in the wild, composting all of the materials on the forest floor.

Congratulations to our AIA team for a job well done! You can meet the Madagascar hissing cockroaches on your next visit to LSC in our Eat and Be Eaten gallery.

Plus, don’t forget to check out our Brady Bunch/cockroach count mashup video!