cockroach

Any of numerous insects of the family Blattidae, distantly related to mantises and grasshoppers. There are 3,500 species, mainly in the tropics. They have long antennae and biting mouthparts. They can fly, but rarely do so.

The common cockroach, or black-beetle Blatta orientalis, is found in human dwellings, is nocturnal, omnivorous, and contaminates food. The German cockroach Blattella germanica and American cockroach Periplaneta americana are pests in kitchens, bakeries, and warehouses. In Britain only two innocuous species are native, but several have been introduced with imported food and have become severe pests. They are very difficult to eradicate. Cockroaches have a very high resistance to radiation, making them the only creatures likely to survive a nuclear holocaust.

Israeli biologists discovered in 1999 that cockroaches can run at speeds of up to 1 m/3 ft per second and avoid obstacles by twisting and turning as often as 25 times per second.