The largest species of cockroaches are found in South America, where some reportedly grow up to 6 inches long. However, the largest roach listed in the Guinness Book of Records measured 3.81 inches long and 1.77 inches across. The Great Madagascar Hissing Roach can be heard from 10 feet way. Hear him hiss. A recent U.S. Department of Agriculture study counted the German cockroaches in 1,000 low-income apartments in Gainesville and found the median number per unit was 13,000.
Cockroaches can live a month without food but only a week without water.
The typical life span is 15 months. Cockroach dung has been linked to asthma attacks. Cockroaches have been on Earth 350 million years. There are 5,000 species but only about 20 are pests. Females mate only once in their lifetime, producing more than 280 offspring.