This Cockroach Can HISS Like a Snake!

Turn your sound on 🔊—you won’t believe what this cockroach can do!

Keeper Jason introduces Mork and Mindy, a pair of Madagascar hissing cockroaches, one of the only insect species in the world that can hiss audibly. But what’s even more bizarre? They don’t make that sound with their mouths. Instead, they hiss by forcing air through spiracles—tiny holes located along the sides of their bodies. This strange feature allows them to breathe and produce sound.

Unlike other cockroaches that can run or fly to escape danger, hissing cockroaches are slower and flightless, making them easy targets for predators. So how do they survive? Evolution gave them a clever defense: their hiss mimics the sound of a snake, scaring off predators who think twice before getting too close.

But hissing isn’t just for defense. These cockroaches can actually control the tone and volume of their hiss to communicate with each other, whether they're establishing dominance or attracting a mate.

👉 This short explores:

• How hissing cockroaches breathe and produce sound
• Why their hiss sounds like a snake
• How they use sound to survive and interact