Thorny Devils
Thorny Devils (also known as mountain devils, thorny lizards, or molochs) are day-active, ant-eating reptiles that grow 20cm long and can live 20 years. Their bodies can change colour and collect water!
Weighing in at a hefty 30g, Giant Burrowing Cockroaches are the heaviest cockroaches in the world and they can live up to 10 years!
A member of the Blaberidae Family, they’re unrelated to the much-maligned American or German cockroaches spotted in cupboards across Australia. These gigantic roaches are endemic to Queensland and prefer life in the compacted sands of forests in north east Australia.
Giant Burrowing Cockroach behaviour
Giant Burrowing Cockroaches certainly live up to their name. Measuring up to 80 mm, they’re giants of the cockroach world and as big as the palm of your hand!
Unlike most insects, Giant Burrowing Cockroaches are wingless as there’s little need for wings when you spend most of your life underground!
During the day they live at the end of their burrows, in a chamber that can be one metre deep in the soil. They dig burrows with their stocky, spade-like legs. Males have a particularly pronounced ‘scoop’ – shields on the top of their heads that are perfectly suited for digging, and fighting with rival males.
Image Information
Giant Burrowing Cockroach. Photo Steve Heggie.
Giant Burrowing Cockroaches are most active at night when they surface to gather food from the forest floor. They cart their loot – dry leaves, twigs and bark – underground to eat in the comfort of their chambers.
They’re particularly partial to crispy Eucalyptus leaves. In this way, the species is an important nutrient recycler – converting leaf litter into soil.
Unlike most insects, which lay eggs, the female Giant Burrowing Cockroach gives birth to live young. In each clutch there are up to 30 young (nymphs). The female cares for her offspring in her underground chamber, feeding them the leaf litter she gathers at night.
During this time the nymphs moult (shed their outer layer) up to 12 times, before they’re fully grown. The Giant Burrowing Cockroach is generally solitary, meeting only to mate. After many months the young will eventually leave the family home, venturing out to dig burrows of their own.
Threats to Giant Burrowing Cockroaches
The Giant Burrowing Cockroach emits a loud hissing noise if threatened by predators. The Giant Burrowing Cockroach is endangered by the wildlife trafficking. Collecting for the pet trade is rapidly becoming a critical threat for this and other species of invertebrates, reptiles, birds and mammals. Habitat destruction from land clearing is also the significant threat for these gentle giants. Like many invertebrates, little is known about their former range, but we do know that their main habitat – forests in northern Queensland – has been dramatically cleared in the last 200 years.
What's Bush Heritage Australia doing?
Through our work on our Queensland reserves we’re protecting the habitat of the Giant Burrowing Cockroach. We carefully manage fire on our reserves to look after native species, and to protect nearby homes and properties. We also work with our neighbours to re-vegetate using native plants.
Image Information
Southern Boobook Owl. Photo Jeroen van Veen.
Protecting ecosystems and wildlife across the continent
Contribute to a future where our extraordinary landscapes and the plants and animals that they support remain safe. As a regular monthly giver, you'll have an even bigger impact on the health of the Australian bush.
Inspiring conservation stories sent straight to your inbox.
More native species
