When you try to slam the runaway red cockroach, there is a feeling that he has a good hundred paws. But no. The cockroach has six legs. He just knows how to very quickly sort through them.
Why six
Because the cockroach belongs to the class of insects. Any living organism that belongs to this category has 3 pairs of legs. The total number of limbs may vary.
On a note!
If the “insect” has more paws, this is an animal. These animals include spiders and ticks, which are often called insects in everyday life.
Structure
Strong walking legs consist of 5 segments. Flattened hips and lower legs are armed with spikes. At the end of each foot there are 5 claws and a suction cup. Such a paw arrangement allows the parasite to easily move along vertical smooth surfaces.
The bristles on the lower part of the leg were previously called sensory, believing that it picks up air vibrations and warns the owner about the approach of danger. Recent studies have shown that bristles help an insect to move on an impassable surface.
A cockroach has three types of legs:
- braking: front and shortest;
- maneuverable: medium, able to move in any direction and providing the pest with a quick change of direction;
- jogging: rear, the longest, designed to move forward and speed up.
Interesting!
Prusak is able to change direction up to 28 times per minute. The speed record of a pest running away from danger is 5.4 km / h. This means that in 1 second he can run a distance that exceeds the length of his body by 50 times. For a person, this speed would be 330 km / h.
Other paw features
The paws are designed not only for movement on a plane. A strong and long back pair is able to push its owner vertically up. Thereby representatives of the genus Blattella able to jump to a decent height.
Also, with the help of the paws, the insect can conduct hygienic procedures, caring for its body.
Other limbs
Extremities also include:
- elytra;
- wings;
- mustache;
- tserki.
The total number of limbs in a cockroach is at least 7 pairs. But he has only six walking legs, and they perfectly perform their functions.
Well, not all cockroaches can move on smooth vertical surfaces. I keep Argentine cockroaches for my lizards. These insects do not climb vertically. Yes, there were problems with ordinary homework.