#giant burrowing cockroach

[uncharismatic-fauna]

Uncharismatic Fact of the Day

The rhinocerus cockroach got its name for a good reason-- it's the largest species of cockroach in the world. These guys can be as long as 80 mm (3.1 in), and weigh a whopping 35 g (1.2 oz). Because of their large size, they are also one of the few species of cockroach that lack wings.

(Image: A rhinoceros cockroach (Macropanesthia rhinoceros) by Steve and Alison Pearson)

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[potatobugz]

OHH GIANT BURROWING COCKROACH... ALSO KNOWN AS THE RHINOCEROS COCKROACH... SHES SO BEAUTFIFUL I COULD CRY.... MOTHER OF PEARL

[onenicebugperday]

@coelacanthz​ submitted: Here’s my very own freshly peeled angel! He’s still a nymph but growing fast! (Macropanesthia rhinoceros)

An angel!! Freshly peeled!!! I love him very much

[thewarpsystem]

we’ve been reading this book on the mass extinction of insects in the last several decades (“the insect crisis” by oliver milman) and while we’re devastated by the grave statistics and what the loss of so many insect species could mean for biodiversity and the human race, we’re also really enjoying learning about so many cool new bugs

for example, we had no clue that in queensland australia giant burrowing cockroaches are a common and popular pet. you can keep them in a fish tank/small terrarium and the only real maintenance their environment requires is moisturizing the dirt by spraying it with water and making sure to remove mold if any starts to grow. they feed off of dead leaves and prefer extremely dry and crumbled up ones, but they can also eat fruits and vegetables like apples, bananas, and potatoes.

they also like to be pet! they can make a soft hissing sound when you pet them and they fit well in the palm of your hand :)

they’re pretty cute too!! we love these funky little guys

[temeraire]

I'm not the one who sent the ask about a human in the roof and the SPEED with which I scrolled to see what the fuck you two were talking about when I read that ask felt ungodly.🌱

ALSO WHY the cockroach SLANDER. they're just some funny little guys. I had a buddy I used to feed biscuit crumbs to when I had one with my tea. he was cool. they're just flat little dudes.🌱

OKAY FOUND WHAT YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT. dying at you feeling the need to point out that you can't put a guy under a cup. you probably could if he was small but I digress because that would be so much worse actually. fuckin. homunculus infestation. god can you imagine.🌱 also hi other anon, thanks for the most exciting (?:concerning) moment of my week so far.

like listen i Get having irrational fears outside of your control but logistically i feel like dealing with a LIVE HUMAN secretly hiding in your attic is WAY MORE DIFFICULT than a cockroach infestation. and the idea you've raised of a fucking . borrower infestation is also fucking wild but actually wigs me out far less than a single fullsize human i think. bc at that point theyre like little fantasy creatures and not a Live Stranger Fullsize Human In Your House Secretly

[todaysbug]

February 12th, 2024

Giant Whip Scorpion (Mastigoproctus giganteus)

Distribution: Found in the southwestern United States, including New Mexico, Arizona, Oklahoma and Texas, down through much of Mexico, as well as Florida.

Habitat: Found in arid habitats; deserts, scrub forests and grasslands, where they take shelter beneath plant debris, in rock crevices or in abandoned animal burrows. Can be found living at altitudes of up to 6000 metres.

Diet: Carnivorous; feeds on a variety of invertebrates, including cockroaches, crickets, millipedes, other arachnids, worms and slugs. Has also been documented feeding on small toads and frogs.

Description: Though their name would suggest otherwise, giant whip scorpions are more closely related to spiders than they are to true scorpions. This species is also referred to as the giant vinegaroon, as it has the capacity to spray a substance containing high concentrations of acetic acid, the same acid found in vinegar. They're able to spray up to 19 times in a row before their pygidial gland is depleted (though it fills up pretty fast; they're usually ready to go again the very next day!). This spray does not usually cause long-term harm, but can occasionally cause the skin to blister, as well as intense pain if it gets into the eyes. Luckily, they only spray when touched—as long as you remain at a respectful distance, you'll be okay! They may also deliver a painful bite or pinch with their powerful chelicerae, though they have no venom.

This species is usually considered to be beneficial, as it often hunts other undesirable arthropods, such as scorpions, as well as agricultural pests that may threaten crops. Giant whip scorpions are also fairly common in the exotic pet trade, as they're non-venomous and have a long lifespan; males can live to 10 years, and females, twice that long!

Images by Bryan Maltais and Diego Barrales.

[wikipedia-the-non-official]

*they open one of the packages of fresh tuna setting wiki down infront before laying on the coach again

Coach rhymes with cockroach

Hehe

Cockroach

Cockroaches (or roaches[1][2][3]) are insects belonging to the order Blattodea (Blattaria). About 30 cockroach species out of 4,600 are associated with human habitats. Some species are well-known pests.

The cockroaches are an ancient group, with their ancestors, known as "roachoids", originating during the Carboniferous period, some 320 million years ago. Those early ancestors, however, lacked the internal ovipositors of modern roaches. Cockroaches are somewhat generalized insects lacking special adaptations (such as the sucking mouthparts of aphids and other true bugs); they have chewing mouthparts and are probably among the most primitive of living Neopteran insects. They are common and hardy insects capable of tolerating a wide range of climates, from Arctic cold to tropical heat. Tropical cockroaches are often much larger than temperate species.

Modern cockroaches are not considered to be a monophyletic group, as it has been found based on genetics that termites are deeply nested within the group, with some groups of cockroaches more closely related to termites than they are to other cockroaches, thus rendering Blattaria paraphyletic. Both cockroaches and termites are included into Blattodea.

Some species, such as the gregarious German cockroach, have an elaborate social structure involving common shelter, social dependence, information transfer and kin recognition. Cockroaches have appeared in human culture since classical antiquity. They are popularly depicted as large, dirty pests, although the majority of species are small and inoffensive and live in a wide range of habitats around the worl

Cockroaches are members of the superorder Dictyoptera, which includes the termites and mantids,[4] a group of insects once thought to be separate from cockroaches. Currently, 4,600 species and over 460 genera are described worldwide.[5][6] The name "cockroach" comes from the Spanish word for cockroach, cucaracha, transformed by 1620s English folk etymology into "cock" and "roach".[7] The scientific name derives from the Latin blatta, "an insect that shuns the light", which in classical Latin was applied not only to cockroaches, but also to mantids.[8][9]

Historically, the name Blattaria was used largely interchangeably with the name Blattodea, but whilst Blattaria was used to refer to 'true' cockroaches exclusively, the Blattodea also includes the termites. The current catalogue of world cockroach species uses the name Blattodea for the group.[5] Another name, Blattoptera, is also sometimes used to refer to extinct cockroach relatives.[10]

The earliest cockroach-like fossils ("blattopterans" or "roachoids") are from the Carboniferous period 320 million years ago.[11][12][13] Fossil roachoids are considered the common ancestor of both mantises and modern cockroaches, and are distinguished from the latter by the presence of a long external ovipositor. As the body, hind wings and mouthparts are not preserved in fossils frequently, the relationship of these roachoids and modern cockroaches remains disputed. The first fossils of modern cockroaches with internal ovipositors appeared in the early Cretaceous. Recent phylogenetic analysis suggests that cockroaches arose by the Jurassic.[14][15]

The evolutionary relationships of the Blattodea (cockroaches and termites) shown in the cladogram are based on Inward, Beccaloni and Eggleton (2007).[16] The cockroach families Anaplectidae, Lamproblattidae, and Tryonicidae are not shown but are placed within the superfamily Blattoidea. The cockroach families Corydiidae and Ectobiidae were previously known as the Polyphagidae and Blattellidae.

Most species of cockroach are about the size of a thumbnail, but several species are notably larger. The world's heaviest cockroach is the Australian giant burrowing cockroach Macropanesthia rhinoceros, which can reach 8 centimetres (3 in) in length and weigh up to 35 grams (1.2 oz).[22] Comparable in size is the Central American giant cockroach Blaberus giganteus.[23] The longest cockroach species is Megaloblatta longipennis, which can reach 97 mm (3+7⁄8 in) in length and 45 mm (1+3⁄4 in) across.[24] A Central and South American species, Megaloblatta blaberoides, has the largest wingspan of up to 185 mm (7+1⁄4 in).[25] At the other end of the size scale, Attaphila cockroaches that live with leaf-cutter ants include some of the world's smallest species, growing to about 3.5 mm in length.[26]

Cockroaches are generalized insects with few special adaptations, and may be among the most primitive living Neopteran insects. They have a relatively small head and a broad, flattened body, and most species are reddish-brown to dark brown. They have large compound eyes, two ocelli, and long, flexible antennae. The mouthparts are on the underside of the head and include generalized chewing mandibles, salivary glands and various touch and taste receptors.[27]

The body is divided into a thorax of three segments and a ten-segmented abdomen. The external surface has a tough exoskeleton which contains calcium carbonate; this protects the inner organs and provides attachment to muscles. This external exoskeleton is coated with wax to repel water. The wings are attached to the second and third thoracic segments. The tegmina, or first pair of wings, are tough and protective; these lay as a shield on top of the membranous hind wings, which are used in flight. All four wings have branching longitudinal veins, as well as multiple cross-veins.[28]

The three pairs of legs are sturdy, with large coxae and five claws each.[28] They are attached to each of the three thoracic segments. Of these, the front legs are the shortest and the hind legs the longest, providing the main propulsive power when the insect runs.[27] The spines on the legs were earlier considered to be sensory, but observations of the insect's gait on sand and wire meshes have demonstrated that they help in locomotion on difficult terrain. The structures have been used as inspiration for robotic legs.[29][30]

The abdomen has ten segments, each having a pair of spiracles for respiration. In addition to the spiracles, the final segment consists of a pair of cerci, a pair of anal styles, the anus and the external genitalia. Males have an aedeagus through which they secrete sperm during copulation, while females have spermatheca for storing sperm and an ovipositor through which the oothecae are laid.[27]

Cockroaches are abundant throughout the world and live in a wide range of environments, especially in the tropics and subtropics.[31] Cockroaches can withstand extremely low temperatures, allowing them to live in the Arctic. Some species are capable of surviving temperatures of −122 °C (−188 °F) by manufacturing an antifreeze made out of glycerol.[32] In North America, 50 species separated into five families are found throughout the continent.[31] 450 species are found in Australia.[33] Only about four widespread species are commonly regarded as pests.[34][35]

Cockroaches occupy a wide range of habitats. Many live in leaf litter, among the stems of matted vegetation, in rotting wood, in holes in stumps, in cavities under bark, under log piles and among debris. Some live in arid regions and have developed mechanisms to survive without access to water sources. Others are aquatic, living near the surface of water bodies, including bromeliad phytotelmata, and diving to forage for food. Most of these respire by piercing the water surface with the tip of the abdomen which acts as a snorkel, but some carry a bubble of air under their thoracic shield when they submerge. Others live in the forest canopy where they may be one of the main types of invertebrate present. Here they may hide during the day in crevices, among dead leaves, in bird and insect nests or among epiphytes, emerging at night to feed.[36]

Social behavior

When reared in isolation, German cockroaches show behavior that is different from behavior when reared in a group. In one study, isolated cockroaches were less likely to leave their shelters and explore, spent less time eating, interacted less with conspecifics when exposed to them, and, among males, took longer to recognize receptive females. Because these changes occurred in many contexts, the authors suggested them as constituting a behavioral syndrome. These effects might have been due either to reduced metabolic and developmental rates in isolated individuals or the fact that the isolated individuals had not had a training period to learn about what others were like via their antennae.[47]

Individual American cockroaches appear to have consistently different "personalities" regarding how they seek shelter. In addition, group personality is not simply the sum of individual choices, but reflects conformity and collective decision-making.[48][49]

The gregarious German and American cockroaches have elaborate social structure, chemical signaling, and "social herd" characteristics. Lihoreau and his fellow researchers stated:[38]

The social biology of domiciliary cockroaches ... can be characterized by a common shelter, overlapping generations, non-closure of groups, equal reproductive potential of group members, an absence of task specialization, high levels of social dependence, central place foraging, social information transfer, kin recognition, and a meta-population structure.[38]

There is evidence that a few species of group-living roaches in the genera Melyroidea and Aclavoidea may exhibit a reproductive division of labor, which, if confirmed, would make these the only genuinely eusocial lineage known among roaches, in contrast to the subsocial members of the genus Cryptocercus.[50]

Sounds

Some species make a buzzing noise while other cockroaches make a chirping noise. Gromphadorhina species and Archiblatta hoeveni produce sound through the modified spiracles on the fourth abdominal segment. In the former species, several different hisses are produced, including disturbance sounds, produced by adults and larger nymphs; and aggressive, courtship and copulatory sounds produced by adult males.[51] Henschoutedenia epilamproides has a stridulatory organ between its thorax and abdomen, but the purpose of the sound produced is unclear.[52]

Several Australian species practice acoustic and vibration behaviour as an aspect of courtship. They have been observed producing hisses and whistles from air forced through the spiracles. Furthermore, in the presence of a potential mate, some cockroaches tap the substrate in a rhythmic, repetitive manner. Acoustic signals may be of greater prevalence amongst perching species, particularly those that live on low vegetation in Australia's tropics.[53]

Parthenogenesis

When female American cockroaches (Periplaneta americana) are housed in groups, this close association promotes parthenogenic reproduction.[61] Oothecae, a type of egg mass, are produced asexually.[61] The parthenogenetic process by which eggs are produced in P. americana is automixis.[62] During automixis, meiosis occurs, but instead of giving rise to haploid gametes as ordinarily occurs, diploid gametes are produced (probably by terminal fusion) that can then develop into female cockroaches.

Hardiness

Cockroaches are among the hardiest insects. Some species are capable of remaining active for a month without food and are able to survive on limited resources, such as the glue from the back of postage stamps.[63] Some can go without air for 45 minutes. Japanese cockroach (Periplaneta japonica) nymphs, which hibernate in cold winters, have survived twelve hours at −5 to −8 °C (23 to 18 °F) in laboratory experiments.[64]

Experiments on decapitated specimens of several species of cockroach found a variety of behavioral functionality remained, including shock avoidance and escape behavior, although many insects other than cockroaches are also able to survive decapitation, and popular claims of the longevity of headless cockroaches do not appear to be based on published research.[65][66] The severed head is able to survive and wave its antennae for several hours, or longer when refrigerated and given nutrients.[66]

It is popularly suggested that cockroaches will "inherit the earth" if humanity destroys itself in a nuclear war. While cockroaches do, indeed, have a much higher radiation resistance than vertebrates, with a lethal dose perhaps six to 15 times that for humans, they are not exceptionally radiation-resistant compared to other insects, such as the fruit fly.[67]

The cockroach's ability to withstand radiation has been explained through the cell cycle. Cells are most vulnerable to the effects of radiation while they are dividing. A cockroach's cells divide only once each molting cycle (which is weekly, for the juvenile German cockroach[68]). Since not all cockroaches would be molting at the same time, many would be unaffected by an acute burst of radiation, although lingering and more[clarification needed] acute radiation would still be harmful.[60]

In research and education

Because of their ease of rearing and resilience, cockroaches have been used as insect models in the laboratory, particularly in the fields of neurobiology, reproductive physiology and social behavior.[37] The cockroach is a convenient insect to study as it is large and simple to raise in a laboratory environment. This makes it suitable both for research and for school and undergraduate biology studies. It can be used in experiments on topics such as learning, sexual pheromones, spatial orientation, aggression, activity rhythms and the biological clock, and behavioral ecology.[69] Research conducted in 2014 suggests that humans fear cockroaches the most, even more than mosquitoes, due to an evolutionary aversion.[70]

so with the German cockroach.[95]

A study conducted by scientists at Purdue University concluded that the most common cockroaches in the US, Australia and Europe were able to develop a "cross resistance" to multiple types of pesticide. This contradicted previous understanding that the animals can develop resistance against one pesticide at a time.[96] The scientists suggested that cockroaches will no longer be easily controlled using a diverse spectrum of chemical pesticides and that a mix of other means, such as traps and better sanitation, will need to be employed.[96]

Researchers from Heriot-Watt University demonstrated that a power laser can, with high effectiveness, neutralise cockroaches in a home, and suggest it might be an alternative to pesticides.[97]

As food

See also: Entomophagy

Although considered disgusting in Western culture, cockroaches are eaten in many places around the world.[98][99] Whereas household pest cockroaches may carry bacteria and viruses, cockroaches bred under laboratory conditions can be used to prepare nutritious food.[100] In Thailand and Mexico, the heads and legs are removed, and the remainder may be boiled, sautéed, grilled, dried or diced.[98] Frying makes the insect crispy with soft innards that taste like cottage cheese.[101][102] Recipes from Taiwan also call for its use in omelets.[103][104] It can be a feeder insect for pet reptiles.[104]

Medicinal use

See also: Cockroach farming

Cockroaches are raised in large quantities in China for the production of traditional medicine and cosmetics.[105] There are about 100 cockroach farms in the country. Running a farm involves relatively low starting and operating costs due to how hardy and easy to process the insects are. Chinese and South Korean researchers are investigating cockroaches for treating baldness, AIDS, cancer, and as a dietary supplement.[106][107]

Conservation

See also: Depopulation of cockroaches in post-Soviet states

While a small minority of cockroaches are associated with human habitats and viewed as repugnant by many people, a few species are of conservation concern. The Lord Howe Island wood-feeding cockroach (Panesthia lata) is listed as endangered by the New South Wales Scientific Committee, but the cockroach may be extinct on Lord Howe Island itself. The introduction of rats, the spread of Rhodes grass (Chloris gayana) and fires are possible reasons for their scarcity.[108] Two species are currently listed as endangered and critically endangered by the IUCN Red List, Delosia ornata and Nocticola gerlachi.[109][110] Both cockroaches have a restricted distribution and are threatened by habitat loss and rising sea levels. Only 600 Delosia ornata adults and 300 nymphs are known to exist, and these are threatened by a hotel development. No action has been taken to save the two cockroach species, but protecting their natural habitats may prevent their extinction. In the former Soviet Union, cockroach populations have been declining at an alarming rate; this may be exaggerated, or the phenomenon may be temporary or cyclic.[111] One species of roach, Simandoa conserfariam, is considered extinct in the wild.[112]

[sinosauropteryx--prima]

Life in the Early Triassic

(first row: Sclerosaurus, Lystrosaurus; second row: Hupehsuchus, Triadobatrachus, Cartorhynchus; thrid row: Rebellatrix, Atopodentatus; fourth row: Aphaneramma, Erythrosuchus)

Lystrosaurus - Julio Lacerda

Erythrosuchus - Mark Witton

Rebellatrix - Michael Skrepnick

Aphaneramma - Gabriel Ugueto

Cartorhynchus, Hupehsuchus, Atopodentatus - Nobu Tamura

Triadobatrachus - Alexey Malitskiy

Sclerosaurus - Wikimedia

We‘ve reached the Triassic period and with it the Mesozoic Era, the Age of Reptiles! Right now (about 250 million years ago), the reptiles are not dominating yet - in fact no one really was doing too well, as the Early Triassic was mostly a recovery period with low diversity after the most devastating mass extinction of all time, The Great Dying, at the end of the Permian.

The one exception to this is Lystrosaurus. The pig-sized herbivores somehow made it through the mass extinction mostly unscathed and in a now barren world they re-diversified, took up empty niches and became the most common vertebrate in many areas. It is not entirely clear why they survived. Maybe it was hibernation or burrowing that gave them some kind of protection from the worst parts of The Great Dying, maybe they were just lucky. Whatever it was, these prehistoric cockroaches marked one of the last big hurrahs of the synapsids (our own linage), before they went into hiding and lived their lifes as rodent size critters in the shadows of the reptiles for the following 200 million years or so.

The synapsids were the stars of the Permian, but only three groups of them made it into the Triassic: The carnivorous therocephalians and the herbivorous dicynodonts like Lystrosaurus with bulky bodies, mostly toothless beaks and tusk-like canines. They both went extinct during the Triassic. A third group, the cynodonts, survived much longer and will eventually include all modern mammals, from the tiniest bats to the biggest whales. But right now all of that is just some distant future.

Right now, at the beginning of the Triassic, a lot of other groups hurry to fill empty spaces. Several groups of reptiles decided that, after their ancestors once spent a lot of time and effort to evolve a terrestrial lifestyle, they want to return to the oceans. This included early cousins of the ichthyosaurs (those dolphin-shaped marine reptiles that lived alongside the dinosaurs) like Cartorhynchus and very basal sauropterygians. The most famous member of that group are the Loch-Ness-Monster-looking plesiosaurs, but one early member was the strange Atopodentatus. They possibly used their weird mouths to eat algae, making them one of the earliest herbivorous marine reptiles.

On land, the most interesting development might be the rise of the archosaurs and their close relatives. Over the span of the Mesozoic, the age of reptiles, they became the dominate group of life including many fan-favorites: The giant dinosaurs, the flying pterosaurs, the birds we have today and the wide variety of crocs, both past and present. At the beginning of the Triassic, they are just starting out, but 5 m long predators like the big-headed Erythrosuchus (although they are technically not quite archosaurs), already give a glimpse into their future.

[humblegrub]

Trick or bugs! 8D (hello fellow bug lover!)

trick or bugs to you too!!! GIANT BURROWING COCKROACH BE UPON YE !!!

(Folks were able to trick or treat in my inbox on October 31st, 2023 in order to receive one of my favorite bugs!)

[emperornero]

everytime i close my eyes i wish i turn into a human-sized giant burrowing cockroach

[spiderappreciation]

Found this little spider hiding in one of the leaves I was feeding my Giant burrowing cockroaches. unsure exactly what it is but some kind of Simaethula sp I believe :)

[straightlightyagami]

ok no how 2 get over the fear of cockroaches and lizards in specific. i will chek out cool facts about in hopes i get over my fear but perhaps you have coolf acts? or perhaps any bugs you like/dislike?

lizards? but those aren't insects in any way. most lizards' bite is not dangerous (as in not venomous but there still might be germs obviously. eg salmonella. lizards cannot get rabies though) and they're not likely to bite you unless you provoke them. the big ones have teeth and large claws so it's best to leave them alone if you don't know how to handle them. the ones that are venomous are Mexican beaded lizards and Gila monsters. Large monitor lizards can be dangerous (and some of them are also venomous), but generally if you stay away from them they will not attack. if you live somewhere with only small lizards tho they're not dangerous

I knew someone who knew a lot about different bugs and they were particularly obsessed with roaches (and bees also) but unfortunately I don't know as much. I got most of these from wikipedia. um sorry if these cool facts make it worse..

there are about 4600 known species of cockroach worldwide, about 30 of which are found in human habitats. to some degree it makes sense to be scared of them if they're in your house because they can spread diseases or cause allergies.

the heaviest cockroach is the giant burrowing cockroach, which can reach up to 8 cm in length and weigh 35 grams. it doesn't have wings and is the only cockroach that has has permanent burrows underground where it can live up to 1 m deep.

some cockroaches can live up to a month without food.

cockroaches have a higher tolerance for radiation than humans (cells are most sensitive to radiation while dividng and their cells divide only during molting), but fruit flies are actually more resistant to radiation.

a cockroach named Nadezhda was the first terrestrial animal to produce offspring conceived in space.

I like bees as I've said. also rhinoceros beetles are cool (they might look a bit scary because of being so large but they cannot bite or sting. or maybe them being large makes them less scary because you can see them as an "animal" rather than an "insect" even tho insects are animals obv. I'm not sure what criteria people use to determine scariness. they have cool shapes I think).

my least favorite bugs are mosquitos bc malaria and also kissing bugs they're terrifying.. the insects that look the creepiest to me are caterpillars though, weirdly (although there are cool-looking ones). they look like that to scare off predators and it works on me

@dressedsalad do you have any cool facts? you know a lot more about this stuff than me lol

[weaselle]

in this essay i will hobbits

here is something about Hobbits i’m not sure everyone gets

hobbits are cockroaches

i mean that in such a loving way, but they truly are the cockroaches of the LOTR races. Maybe that’s a bit much -- but they are super sneaky and super hard to kill.

Let me sum up. No, is too good. Let me explain

First of all, they are the sneakiest sneakers.

Hobbits are just naturally nearly invisible most of the time except when they are in their other natural state, Being Noticed. 

They are small, they are barefoot, they live in little burrows, they are THE SNEAKIEST SNEAKERS.

The books (and therefore movies) are low-key from the point of view of the Hobbits themselves (we are actually meant to be reading the book(s) written by Bilbo and Frodo, you know, that leather bound thing with the actual book titles on it that we see handed over to Sam at the end). It’s all a hobbit POV, and since hobbits find the sneakiness of other hobbits to just be normal, it isn’t explicitly focussed on.

Think about it though. They are small, they have large padded feet and never wear shoes, they are very quiet and hard to notice -- except when they are Being Noticed.

In fact, Being Noticed is a part of how they are so sneaky, because everyone who knows hobbits knows they love to sing, and dance, and mess about with everything, and have loud opinions, so of course you always know where the hobbit is... until suddenly you don’t.

Usually you see them chucking rocks at stuff, or shoving their friend, or hear them singing a song, or complaining about literally everything in that almost cheerful conversational way they have of complaining, or asking endless inane questions ...

But that’s how you always and easily know right where the hobbit is, you never get around to listening for footfalls or other signs of their presence. You never even have to really look for one. For the last hour they’ve been slightly behind you on your left side, idly wondering out loud how many bad puns about dogs they could make. But suddenly you notice you haven’t actually heard them make any noise for five minutes and you now have zero idea where the hobbit is.

What do their footfalls and breathing sound like? what do they smell like? They, well, hell, they smell like food, don’t they. That’s what you always smell when you’re around a hobbit. They are so good at Being Noticed that you don’t actually have to notice anything about them. So when they stop Being Noticed, they go entirely unnoticed. 

But even if you’ve never noticed a hobbit before, if they don’t want to be seen, you probably don’t see them.

I mean, it takes forever, but the Fellowship’s plan was basically: give The Ring to one of these ghosty little shadow steppers, and let them walk it right through the middle of the enemy’s home base.

Yeah, for sure, the enemy is personified as a literal giant Eye that Sees All, and yeah, he is obsessively looking specifically for this thing (which, by the way, is calling out to him) but don’t worry, this fine fellow and his gardener are going to walk it right under his actual eyeball without him noticing. 

And it works!

The reason this works is because Hobbits are the sneakiest sneakers to ever sneak around Middle Earth.

consider this

Elrond, a ruler of elves, thousands of years old, no stranger to secrecy and hidden things, calls a high-level secret meeting among vassals from the highest powers left in the land. A meeting held in the center of his own controlled realm. And not one but three! uninvited hobbits find out about it, show up to it, = and secretly observe the entire thing unbeknownst to kings, wizards and elves. Not even mentioning what I assume must have been SOME kind of guards or security force appointed by Elrond.

I love the angry startled look Movie-Elrond gives Merry and Pippin when they run into the meeting to join their kin. Like, he was very gracious about Sam, played it super cool, but then this ruler of elves sees two more!? hobbits jog right into the middle of his very private meeting and he’s clearly all “how the fuck?!”

And yo, it must have been embarrassing to have his most secret of meetings be so entirely spied on. And not spied on by magic or espionage professionals, no. His fate-of-the-world secret military meeting was just sort of invisibly and casually attended by, though i say it affectionately, a sort of average kind-hearted chap and a couple of idiots.

But nobody throws shade at Elrond over it, nobody even makes a comment, no sarcastic “if your vaults are as well guarded as your secret meetings my Lord Elrond, I am afraid you may find yourself without coin” Instead everyone just seems to be like “yep, hobbits stepping out of nowhere, that’s hobbits for you”

Or think how, in The Hobbit (book or movie[s]) Those dwarves were like “how the hell are we going to sneak past a dragon, a DRAGON of all things, ultimate predator created by dark forces, how can we sneak in right under his actual nose?” and Gandalf immediately thinks “A Hobbit could do that. Any hobbit at all could do that, actually -- the real trick would be getting some hobbit to agree to travel more than three days from his hole...”

And then in nearly every encounter, this gentle-hobbit, who is missing his fine linen hankie, manages to sneak off and not be noticed by whatever enemy they face. Near the end of the book Bilbo comes and goes between the various armed forces like he’s going for a morning stroll, just leaving guarded fortresses and showing up at king’s tents like it’s nothing. Sure he’s got the ring, but i am certain this is only augmenting his stealthing habits, not creating them.

Early in the fellowship one of the Nazgul stands directly over the four hobbits while actively searching for hobbit-shaped prey AND feeling the homing energy of the ring, and all four hobbits still stay unnoticed. 

I’m convinced the elven cloak works so well to hide them at the gates of Mordor because natural hobbit abilities to stay hidden and the simple elvish cloaking magic crank each other up to 11. Like, that same cloak would not have hidden Gimli the same way in that situation, i’m sure. It would have helped, maybe enough to work at a distance, but not at the enemy’s very feet like that. But a hobbit could almost pull that off even without an elvish cloak, so it’s no problem to do so while wearing one.

Faramir only finds them because a distracted Frodo literally bounces off him while walking through the bushes.

All the time, the hobbits hide and sneak. Frodo and Sam even sneak out of the middle of a group of orcs that are focused on them when they get inspected while disguised as orcs in Mordor. Like the Head Inspector, looks right at them and demands to Inspect Specifically Them, and they, so done in they are barely able to march, still manage to just, y’know, start a distraction and vanish.

Hobbits are, just, unbelievably stealthy

Now think on this. If I asked someone who the sneakiest character from LOTR is, you know who they would say. The sneakiest, stealthiest character in the lord of the rings universe? You all know exactly who everyone would say.

And that’s exactly who is the only one to be able to consistently and accurately locate and sneak up on hobbits. Gollum, that sneakiest of creatures, who spent five hundred years perfecting the art of slinking unnoticed through the tunnels of the Mountain Goblins, skulking around and actually preying on the goblins and never getting caught. Only Gollum manages to find the hobbits again and again, ambushing them several times. And likewise hobbits are quicker than most to notice when Gollum is sneaking around, even catching him unaware a time or two. Two stealth builds playing chess. 

Now onto Hardy as in Hard to Poison

I wholeheartedly agree with another post i saw proposing hobbits are naturally poison resistant. The post pointed to their almost reckless lust for shoving mushrooms into their mouths as an implication of both the reason for an evolved immunity, and the example of it working. The same post notes Boromir’s description of Mordor as being a deadly environment “the very air you breathe is a poisonous fume” supported by there being no birds or fish or i think animals of any kind in the surrounding marshes... and yet the hobbits live relatively well there, merely inconvenienced instead of dying.

There are many instances of hobbits being particularly resilient.

Frodo is resistant to being stabbed by the morgul blade on Weathertop, which by rights should have either killed him or transformed him into a wraith. The wound is so virulent in corruptive magic that it never heals, and Frodo is like “you know? sometimes it bothers me a bit” Merry survives a similar cursed wound after stabbing the Witch King in battle and recovers completely. On the twisted magic paths of Mirkwood, only Bilbo was able to keep his head and break free of the spell, refusing to become fully hypnotized, correctly assessing the source of the enspellment (noxious fumes) and climbing up a tree to fresh air. Even Pippin is startlingly resilient to Sauron himself when he handles the Palantir, giving away no information and refusing to answer questions even having his will bent by the Dark Lord himself. And then afterward recovers completely without any desire to seek the seeing stone again, which is nearly as seductive an artifact as a ring of power.

The hobbits are noted by many of the important knowledgeable characters as being very hardy - Aragorn remarks upon it. Elrond and Gandalf both notice the one ring’s soul-poisoning curse seems to have a much weaker effect on true hobbits

(sidebar: smeagol’s character was only “hobbit-like” for example being “river-folk” instead of what we could call burrow-folk, and were probably quite different form hobbits in some ways) True hobbits all fare better with the ring than Smeagol and Deagol did that fateful day.

Bilbo handles it quite well, all things considered, for a significant time. Frodo even tries to give the ring away several times, which is probably impossible for most. Sam struggles only for a few seconds with it, when he returns it to Frodo in the orc tower after Shelob’s lair; as I recall more curious about than overcome by the feeling of the ring’s attempted possession of him, if i remember the books correctly.

And Speaking of Shelob! I know i know, “if hobbits are so poison resistant why could Shelob so easily poison Frodo?” 

Well first of all, Shelob is an actual demon of rather royal evil lineage, so jot that down.

She is stated to have multiple poisons, and while that orc had every right to assume she was playing with her food as usual, he didn’t see Frodo make a real threat of himself by attacking Shelob with elvish magic. There is every reason to believe she was intent on killing Frodo actually. And then, spider-wise, simply was not going to waste a meal. I’m saying there’s a good chance she dosed Frodo with something much more deadly than sleepytime juice, and he recovered fine anyway.

But even if that’s not the case, Shelob is a literal demon older than Sauron, and i’m sure if she wanted to paralyze a hobbit she could. Even, as not the book but the movies do seem to imply, through mithril mail. Shelob’s mother partnered with Sauron’s old boss to basically end the first world, and later survived a battle against an entire army of balrogs when he drove her off. Shelob herself is a demon at least equal to a Balrog, I’m certain if she wanted, her sting could pierce a dragon’s hide or any metal of equal strength.

And not just Frodo, but Sam also survives a bit of an encounter with her venom.

In the books she half smothers Samwise in a puddle of her various poisons that spill from her slashed abdomen. It nearly makes him lose consciousness and i’m positive being half drowned in a literal puddle of demon venom would have killed most things, and he just shakes it entirely off with the help of a minor blessing from Galadriel (which, by the way, is a get-what-you-give kind of magic, the book explicitly says Galadriel’s Phial acted strongly for Sam because of his own inner strength: “As if his indomitable spirit had set its potency in motion, the glass blazed suddenly like a white torch in his hand”)

In the book it goes

“[Shelob] yielded to the stroke, and then heaved up the great bag of her belly high above Sam's head. Poison frothed and bubbled from the wound. Now splaying her legs she drove her huge bulk down on him again ... as Sam was crushed slowly to the ground.”

I presume a puddle of some sort resulted because the book describes her after being wounded as dribbling venom from her mouth and dragging a trail of green slime behind her when she retreats.

So she spews poison from an abdomen wound over his head (and possibly throws up some poison too) and then uses that poison covered belly to push him into the resulting puddle. Sam is effected thusly

“Sam had fallen to his knees by Frodo's head, his senses reeling in the foul stench, his two hands still gripping the hilt of the sword. Through the mist before his eyes he was aware dimly of Frodo's face and stubbornly he fought to master himself and to drag himself out of the swoon that was upon him”

Then moments later, after a jolt from Galadriel’s Phial “And with that he staggered to his feet and was Samwise the hobbit, Hamfast's son, again.” And he charges back into the fight

This demon gives him a damn poison swirly and he’s all, “Wow! that was bracing!” smacks, like, an epipen in his leg, and comes back swinging

Anyway, I could go on and on but what i’m saying is hobbits are clearly the stealthiest beings on Middle Earth, and are also nearly immune to all toxins, be they physical or magical. They are the perfect rogue... except they don’t want any excitement and largely refuse to go adventuring.

unless it’s the literal fate of the world at stake. Or maybe, maaaybe, if you send a company of hungry dwarves to eat ALL the hobbit’s food stores uninvited, and then offer to pay them back for what was basically a small warehouse of food (plus compensation for the severe emotional damage involved of course) but only if the hobbit promises to come along and help secure the funds to be used in payment of said debt. Maybe. It’s that or the end of the world.

Otherwise it’s help yourself to another ale (and bring me another too) on your way out the door, no hey, i’m over here now, what do you mean stop sneaking around

[determinate-negation]

House roaches gross me out but interestingly i dont feel that way about giant burrowing cockroaches. Maybe because they are minding their business out in the decaying leaf litters of queensland but i did also handle one as a kid (insect guy school visit) and they are pretty endearing. Like little armored tanks of the soil.

oh they are really cool. interesting shape. honestly i like the design of house roaches so i dont mind them outside but maybe there is something about the color or the legs that draws forth so much disgust. now im looking into the roach varieties and there are these green ones

[verdan-the-druid]

I don't care if she's a giant burrowing cockroach, if you misgender her on purpose again I will fucking kill you.

[spineconsumer]

Hello my lovely little tapeworms, today's bug fact is going to be on the..........

Giant burrowing cockroach!!!

These Australian lovelies, as the name suggest, burrow! They can dig up to 1m deep and are actually considered very important to the ecosystem. They eat dead dried leaves like eucalyptus. They live mostly in their burrow only really surfacing when it rains and so in the dry seasons, mostly stay underground. As is the way with many solitary creatures, these guys are aggressive, both in males and females. They're also fairly common pets :)