Gromphadorhina portentosa
Светлана Царахова · CC0Harmless. It cannot bite, has no sting, cannot fly and cannot establish in a house. It is a docile pet species and has nothing to do with the cockroaches that infest buildings.
Madagascar only. Every one in the United States is a kept animal, and it cannot survive outdoors or infest a building here.
Rainforest floor and leaf litter in Madagascar. In captivity, a warm dry tub.
The hiss is what makes it notable, and it is produced in a way no other insect manages: it forces air through the abdominal spiracles, the breathing pores, rather than by rubbing body parts together. Males hiss at each other while contesting territory with their horns, and both sexes hiss when alarmed. They give birth to live young, retaining the egg case internally, and a female can produce thirty or more nymphs at once.
Nothing outdoors — you will not meet one. As a kept animal it needs warmth, a dry substrate, vegetables and a climbing surface, and it is commonly used in schools because it is large, slow and impossible to be hurt by. Note they climb glass well, so a tight lid matters.
No. They need consistent tropical warmth, cannot fly, and do not survive American indoor conditions unattended. An escapee dies rather than establishes.
By forcing air out through the spiracles on the abdomen. Most noisy insects rub body parts together; this one effectively exhales through its breathing pores, which is close to unique.
No. They have chewing mouthparts for vegetation and do not use them defensively. The worst they do is grip with their leg spines.
Two to five years, which is long for an insect and part of why they work as classroom animals.
Identify another animal from a photo or return to the Cockroaches guide.
Last reviewed 2026-07-30. We identify, we don’t diagnose — what we can and can’t tell you.