ROM Reporters: Up Close and Personal with Cockroaches & Axolotls
Today the ROM Reporters went on an adventure to the Hands-On Biodiversity Gallery to visit the axolotls and cockroaches. We chatted with Vanessa and Sav, who gave us some insights into the life of these creatures.
The ROM has two axolotls which were donated by a family who originally wanted to keep them as pets. The ROM does not have names for these creatures, so for this occasion we have decided to call them Taylor and Ginger. Ginger is a pale-coloured axolotl and would have had trouble living in the wild because it is difficult to blend in with that specific colour. Taylor, on the other hand, is a common black Axolotl which is convenient in the wild to camouflage.
This is what we found most interesting about axolotls: axolotls are the only amphibian to live their whole lives underwater. They are native to Mexico but the water can be polluted which concluded in them being endangered. Their diet consists of bloodworms, regular worms and crustaceans. In the wild they can only live for a couple years but in captivity their lifespan is up to 20 years.
We also got a great chance to visit the Madagascar hissing cockroaches in the Hands on Bio gallery. The reason why they hiss is to intimidate predators and communicate with other cockroaches. The cockroaches we saw were flat and black with a hard exoskeleton, and as long as an adult’s pinky finger.
In their ecosystem, the cockroaches are both scavengers and decomposers, which means they break down material into humus (the top layer of soil). The ROM feeds them organic vegetables like carrots and lettuce everyday. They can only eat organic food to avoid harmful pesticides.
We had the privilege of holding them with our bare hands! Their small, barbed feet tickled the palm of our hands. They also felt very slimy! We stroked their backs with one finger and it was hard and bumpy.
We then took a look at some of the other insects in the gallery like the walking stick bug, the silk moths and the tarantula, which is actually an arachnid. Even though it was really cool to hold the cockroaches, some of us still find them just a little gross! But we were still glad to be given the opportunity to have this hands-on experience, and we hope you, dear reader, had fun learning about them as well!
More information!
- National Geographic: Madagascar Hissing Cockroach
- Oregon Zoo: Madagascar Hissing Cockroach
- Reuters: Scientists Battle to Save Mexico’s Axolotl from Extinction
- Mental Floss: 11 Awesome Axolotl Facts
By ROM Reporters. Last update: August 8th, 2016.
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