Madagascar hissing cockroaches are different from most species of cockroaches because they give birth to live offspring.  The female carries the egg and neonate nymphs inside the body for approximately 60 days until they emerge as nymphs.  One female can produce as many as 30 to 60 nymphs.  The nymphs molt six times before reaching adulthood.  After each molt, the nymphs dry out and turn from white to brown as they harden. 

Like most cockroaches, they are active only at night and hide under debris, logs and tree bark during the day.  Since they are tropical, they prefer temperatures between 80°F and 90°F and humidity between 75% and 80%.

There are striking differences between the sexes, making it easy to tell them apart.  Males possess large horns on the prothorax, the part of the thorax that is just behind the head.  Females have a flat prothorax or one with only a few small bumps.  Also, the antennae of males are hairy while the antennae of females are relatively smooth.  Behavior also differs between the sexes: only the males are aggressive.

Hissing cockroaches have a tough exoskeleton used for protection and produce a loud hissing sound when disturbed to scare away predators.

Bacteria in the digestive system enable this insect to eat a wide variety of plant materials, including wood.

Cockroaches represent an ancient life form present since the Carboniferous Period (270-350 million years ago) with only minor variations.  The hissing cockroach is a departure from the secretive nature of cockroaches by being aggressive when disturbed.

A Madagascar hissing cockroach is a fascinating insect because of its unusual ability to produce sound.  While many insects use sound, the Madagascar hissing cockroach has a unique way of producing its hisses.  In this insect, sound is produced by forcibly expelling air through a pair of modified abdominal spiracles.  Spiracles are breathing pores that are part of the respiratory system of insects.  Because the spiracles are involved in respiration, this method of sound production is more typical of the respiratory sound made by vertebrates.  In contrast, most other insects produce sound by rubbing body parts (e.g. crickets) or vibrating a membrane (e.g. cicadas).

Although hissing plays an important role in the colony hierarchy, it is the disturbance hisses that most people are familiar with.  Adult males, adult females and older nymphs hiss when disturbed or handled.  This hiss is very loud and easily heard.  It also is the only type of hiss produced by females and nymphs.

Hollywood has long known of the Madagascar hissing cockroaches and have used them as creepy effects in movies for many years. 

Cockroaches are closely related to the grasshoppers, katydids and crickets.

A small colony of hissing cockroaches can consume a large carrot in a single day.

Only 5 or 6 of the 3500 species of cockroaches have been domesticated, with approximately thirty-five species associated with people and considered pests.

Folktales say that cockroaches originated in Finland, however the fossil record indicates that it is indigenous to every continent.  In some countries, it is common to have named cockroaches for other groups of people or other countries.  In fact, the cockroaches are considered to be the main pest species - the American, German, Asian, and Australian cockroaches - originated in Africa.

In folk medicine, the cockroach was used to treat urinary disorders, worms in children, epilepsy, and other ills.

Proverbs referring to the cockroach include: “The cockroach is always wrong when arguing with the chicken,” and “Cockroaches never get justice when a chicken is the judge.”