Why Roaches Rock

The first typical reactions when people hear or see our Roaches, "Yuck!" and "Ew!"
The typical remarks at the end of our visit, "Wow!" and "These are so cool." People ending up really enjoying the roach visits.
What happens during our visit that changes so many minds?

While the artists are drawing, photographing and observing this seemingly repulsive animals, I like to share some facts:

- Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches are not the same roaches that people find under their fridge.
These animals are actually rather rare. Not because they're endangered, in fact, they're quite popular as pets. But their natural distribution is limited to the island of Madagascar. Some scientists want Madagascar to be considered the 8th continent because the plants and animals are not found anywhere else in the world. The ecosystem on this island is astoundingly specific. Even though this roach is not extinct in the wild, Madagascar is in of wildlife conservation.

4th Grade drawing with model

- There are over 3,500 species of roaches on the planet. And believe it or not, a lot of them are not considered pests. The few species that are associated with humans and being dirty are actually dirty because of the mess we leave for them, not the other way around. Roaches can't spread contaminants unless we provide it first. Roaches don't like being dirty. Roaches even clean themselves like cats! The Madagascar Hissing Cockroach in particular is very clean. It's role in the ecosystem is to keep the rainforest healthy. They can't very well fill their niche if they're spreading disease.

- Despite what you see on TV, Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches cannot bite you. Their mouths are similar to that of a grasshopper. Think of it this way: These animals feed on decaying plant matter. Does an animal need flesh ripping teeth to eat a rotten banana? No! They're bodies aren't built for scaring or hurting you, they're for keeping the rainforest healthy and clean. They also lack stingers, pinchers, venom, and wings.

We donated a dozen from our own colony to this very enthusiastic class!

- In my opinion, their role in the environement translates into these animals being "Eco friendly" pets. Yes, they need heat, but otherwise are low-cost. I feed my colonies organic table scraps. This could be a great way to reduce your carbon footprint. Some other eco-friendly pets include the black soldier fly and earth worms. But let's get into that on another post.

I have tons more to say about the Madagascar Hissing Roach. I didn't even get into their social habits, heirarchy, the differences between males and females or their personalities. So keep a look out for our classes and events to learn more!

-Brittany Roger

Sources:
https://today.duke.edu/2014/10/madagascarbiodiversity
https://www.lvzoo.org/animals/madagascar-hissing-cockroach/
https://www.quora.com/Why-are-cockroaches-bad
http://rosamondgiffordzoo.org/assets/uploads/animals/pdf/Madagascar%20Hissing%20Cockroach.pdf

The Tortoise and the Hare

A closer look into our Tortoise and Hare...



Tortoise- Bowser is a 13 year old, male Russian Tortoise. This is his 3rd home. His dominating personality and long lifespan makes him quite a commitment.
A tortoise is not a turtle. Turtles are semi aquatic animals with webbed toes, a hydrodynamic shell. While the tortoise lives on land, can't swim and has a shell more suitable for digging.

Hare- Okay, he's not really a hare. Rocket is a Dutch Rabbit. What's the difference?  Visually, hares have longer legs and more angular features. The real difference is their babies. Baby rabbits (bunnies) are born hairless with their eyes close, completely dependent on their mom.  While baby hares are born independent and ready to go! Hares are not as social as rabbits.
But for our purposes, our young man, Rocket is perfect. He's fast, cute, and fun to draw!



When we bring these guys into the classroom, we let the students pet the animals and listen to The Tortoise and the Hare read out loud. Then they discuss the differences between the real and story animals, what happened in the story and what they can learn from it.
Just as an example, we introduce the students to gesture drawing. First the students only have 10 seconds to draw our animals. Then we give them a few minutes to draw the same animals.
Do they accomplish more with more time? Do they use their time wisely? Do they go slow and steady? Bring us in and find out!



-Brittany Roger