November 3, 2006

• Evolution

  The other day I was walking home with Adam and Mike, we stumbled upon a
  cockroach and I kicked it. I couldn’t help but notice that it landed on its back
  and became helpless, as I stood there watching it struggle trying to get back on
  it’s feet I began to wonder “Why is it having such a hard time flipping itself
  over?!?!”

  
  

  So I did some searching and found this website that answered my question and learned a few things. Here is the answer to my inquiry most important question:

  Q6: Why do cockroaches die on their backs?

  A:
  First, few cockroaches die on their backs in the wild. Natural death of
  cockroaches probably occurs in the stomach of a bird, bat or other small
  animal.

  Second, Cockroaches are not used to living on a polished marble or vinyl
  floor. They are more used to a rugous living plane including
  leaves and sticks and other vegetable debris. Thus when a cockroach
  finds itself on its back (by some mistake in its orienteering) it may
  have trouble righting itself if there is not debris around to grab hold
  of with its legs. (Try it, put a cockroach on its back on a polished
  floor with and without some crinkled paper.)

  Third, often we come across dead cockroaches in buildings that have died
  of insecticide. Most of these insecticides are organophosphate nerve
  poisons. The nerve poison often inhibits cholinesterase, an enzyme that
  breaks down acetyl choline (ACh), a neurotransmitter. With extra ACh in
  the nervous system, the cockroach has muscular spasms which often result
  in the cockroach flipping on its back. Without muscular coordination the
  cockroach cannot right itself and eventually dies in its upside
  down-position.

  To think that roaches have survived millions of years of evolution and they can’t even evolve a way to flip themselves back without aid (at least the ones in NYC). Perhaps that they don’t need to because they are no where near extinction. There are just too many of them in the city and if you don’t keep your home clean, they’ll find their way in.

  • 8:29 pm
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