According to the Cockroaches make great pets home page , there are over four thousand species of cockroach. Of those humans only consider 25 to 30, less than one percent to be pests. The largest roach is the Megoblatta which has an 18 inch wingspan. The heaviest, is the rhinoceros roach of Australia which weighs in at 50 grams. The smallest roach is Attaphilla fungicola which is only four millimeters long and lives in the nests of Leaf Cutter Ants.
Most roaches are nocturnal.
Their habitat ranges from forest floors, to caves, to water. They are highly specialized for their environment, and according to the May 1996 Discover magazine, they can run at a top speed of five feet per second. I've defined cockroach, now I will show you the roaches role in our eco-system. To begin with, roaches are everywhere. According to the Cockroach Manual Cockroaches gather in dark places that have high humidity, contain paper, wood and other porous surfaces and have food readily available.