How High Can Cockroaches Climb?
WouterCockroaches have a unique ability to climb vertical surfaces. They can cling to walls and climb on glass, and their claws allow them to keep their balance while hanging upside down. This ability to cling to vertical surfaces is particularly impressive in the Madagascar hissing cockroach. The oriental cockroach isn’t very good at climbing, however, and lacks the traction required to scale a vertical surface.
The answer to the question of how high can cockroaches climb is surprisingly simple. Cockroaches have three pairs of legs and have nerves that allow them to coordinate movements. As a result, they don’t sustain injury from falling from a high surface. In fact, they’re likely to survive a fall from the tallest building in the world, if not a storm.
Cockroaches are also able to scale steep surfaces. Their legs have sharp claws on them, and this allows them to climb on the surface of walls, windows, and drain pipes. They can also scale ceilings, although not all surfaces provide good footholds. So if you’re worried about cockroaches in your home, check for cracks and gaps in the walls and ceiling.
Cockroaches can cover 48 times their body length in just a second if they are horizontally propelled. While this may seem impressive, they aren’t designed to jump, and this is because their bodies are not as flexible as a cricket’s.
