How Old is the Oldest Cockroach Fossil?
WouterThe oldest known cockroach fossil was discovered in Japan. It is from the Upper Carboniferous stratum. Its ancestors were related to termites and praying mantises. The discovery was made by the Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum.
There are many species of cockroach. The largest one, the American cockroach, can grow up to 1.5 inches long. Its evolutionary history is unknown, but scientists do know that it was present in North America. It can fly, but its size makes it difficult for it to fly very far.
According to the fossil record, the oldest known cockroach was around 300 million years old. This fossil was about three and a half inches long and had a larger body than modern roaches. Although insects are rarely preserved as fossils, this fossil was so detailed that the mouth and wings were visible. It also had veins on its wings.
The oldest cockroach fossil discovered so far is a Cretaceous species called C. montsecana. It lived in early forests 130 million years ago, many millions of years before the dinosaurs went extinct. This species most likely lived in the shadows and cleaned up their own waste. It may have also existed in the Jurassic period.
The ancient cockroach was preserved in amber. Researchers now believe this cockroach is the oldest known cave-dwelling animal. All the other species of cave-dwelling creatures lived in much more recent times, after the dinosaurs died out. This specimen was found in Myanmar’s Hukawng Valley.
