The Cockroach

THE COCKROACH WELL HELLO!

My dear readers, allow me to introduce my friend COCKROACH. Oh hey, that's me!

In this book we will be talking about the American COCKROACH, but other species of cockroaches are known as PALMETTO BUGS OR CROTON BUGS. You can just call me Diane.

The cockroach measures about an inch and a half, or 4 centimeters, and is OVAL shaped and flat. She is reddish brown, but in other parts of the world, there are brightly colored and patterned species too. I put on my leopard-print outfit in case I get on TV.

The cockroach has antennae that are almost as long as her body and little hairs on her abdomen that allow her to detect the slightest movement. She also has mandibles that act like teeth or a BLENDER. Cute, huh? How about a kiss?

The cockroach has wings, but she almost never flies. She is, however, a pretty fast runner. She can move at speeds up to 3 miles, or 5 kilometers, an hour. This makes her among the FASTEST running insects in the world. One, two. One, two. What, these wings? That's not cheating. They're just for decoration!