MASSIVE roach on Jeff Corwin!!!

[Aarantula]

I was watching Jeff Corwin on TV the other day and saw this MASSIVE roach that he found in a tree. He said it's the largest species in the world... was tan looking with black dots on it I think. I'm not sure of the name of it but I think it was blaburus gigas... or something? I have no idea when it comes to roach's but I just thought I'd mention it to you roach lovers out there!

Anyone else see it???

 

[maxident213]

I haven't seen the show but it was probably Blaberus giganteus. A fine roach, I keep about thirty of them in a big tank with my AGB millipedes.

Freshly-molted B. giganteus hanging out with millipede:

http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=6261
http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/gallery/displayimage.php?imageid=6262

 

[Widowman10]

A fine roach, I keep about thirty of them in a big tank with my AGB millipedes.

i'm more of a spider guy, so pardon me for asking a possibly dumb question, but why do you keep roaches with millis?

 

[maxident213]

i'm more of a spider guy, so pardon me for asking a possibly dumb question, but why do you keep roaches with millis?

It just makes a nice display tank IMO, the two species have very similar care requirements and everyone seems to get along fine. Some people are against mixed-species tanks but I haven't had any problems. It's pretty cool to see a giant roach sitting next to a giant millipede, chowing down on some veggies.

 

[Aarantula]

Oh no I must have the name wrong then... the roach he got was in (I think) Brazil and was MASSIVE!!! I swear to god it had to be at least 6-7" long and was able to fly! It kept flying around and he had to keep re-catching it! It really was remarkable and I'm super curious about the species. I'll do some hunting around online and see if I can find out what it was... :?

 

[Xaranx]

I remember seeing this episode, don't remember the name of the roach, but I remember him pretending to eat it.

 

[Widowman10]

thank you maxident!

 

[KyuZo]

I'll do some hunting around online and see if I can find out what it was... :?

If you find out exactly what it is, please let us know, because you got me super curious too .

 

[rosenkrieger]

Sounds like B. Giganteus to me. They come from south america, if i remember correctly, the males can fly, and they get up to 4"

 

[squamata99]

If it is the episode where he pretends to eat it, it was a Blaberus giganteus. Was around 4" long.

 

[Matt K]

Giant roaches:

I hate to be a party pooper (not).... but here are some facts and observations:

1. The largest roach in the world lives in China and gets to not quite 5 inches long.

2. The second largest roach in the world (lengthwise) is Megaloblatta longipinnis at 4.25 to 4.5 inches long. This roach lives in South America and was not the roach Mr Corwin saw. More likely was Megaloblatta blaberoides at just over 4 inches long. It also could have been Archimandrita tesselata which is very common in the area and can get 3 inches or so and looks just as huge.

3. Blaberus giganteus top out at 3 1/4 to 3 and a third inches long IF you have a huge female. Three and a half would be a fluke but possible. Males are somewhat smaller. This species has never been known to reach 4 inches, though they do look big....

4. No living roach has ever been known to reach 6 or 7 inches long in human history, though there is a fossil that was found that I recall was over 7 inches long....

5. Please bear in mind that Jeff Corwins' knowledge ofthe animal kingdom is limited to what field experts tell him before he goes on camera. To work on television you have to have a certain flair for the dramatic... the roach previously known as the worlds largest is chestnut brown. The tannish with spots would be the Archimandrita sp., and Blaberus giganteus are normally not found on a tree, but inside caves, hollow tree trunks, or large crevices and do not have spots (just one).

 

[Stylopidae]

I hate to be a party pooper (not).... but here are some facts and observations:

1. The largest roach in the world lives in China and gets to not quite 5 inches long.

What?

Borneo is not China. Geographically, you could make a case that it's close to China but it's much closer to Indonesia and Malaysia if I remember my geography correctly.

 

[ftorres]

Hello,
I saw that show sometime ago, and I do think it was a B giganteus.

Not a pepered, but a B giganteus

ftorres.

 

[Aarantula]

YEA, it was DEFINITLY the one that he pretended to eat!!! I gotta say, it looked alot bigger than 4" and he did say it was the largest in the world! I'm gonna see if I can find the episode on YouTube or something and post it here.

By the way... he did get it out of a tree. Weather it was set up for the camera or not is anyones guess. :?

 

[Nich]

I've seen the episode in Q., it was around 5"++ gauging that he is 5"10 and the surroundings. Im going to try and find the episode online and post it.

 

[Matt K]

I misspoke earlier. Borneo is correct, not China. However, they were only slightly over 4 inches. The previous world record is 3.94 inches of a female Megaloblatta blaberoides.

 

[Aarantula]

Well here it is!

I found the episode with the massive roach I saw and it's alot bigger than 3.94 inches! I couldn't find an actual video of it but I did manage to find the EXACT episode it appears on... find and watch the episode and see the roach for yourself!!!

The Jeff Corwin Experience: Season 2
Episode #5 — Brazil: The Amazon Goin' Bananas
Jeff has finally made it to the most impressive river system in the world — the Amazon. Jeff has come to encounter the exotic and beautiful creatures of the basin, but he also plans to visit many of his colleagues who have made their life's work studying these unique creatures. Oh, and along the way he'll be partaking of a very exotic Brazilian cuisine, otherwise known as bananas.

I'll post a pic of it if I find it... I'm tellin you people it was HUGE!!!

 

[Matt K]

I have contacted two members of the production team for that episode asking for a 'fact check'. It may be a couple of days before I can get a response to post.

Aarantula: You said "I found the episode with the massive roach I saw and it's alot bigger than 3.94 inches! I couldn't find an actual video of it but I did manage to find the EXACT episode it appears on..."

How do you know it's "alot bigger than 3.94 inches!" if you have no photo to analyze or post for public scrutiny for the facts and no web link to any video online or online content stating the episodes feature list? Is this the "Exact Episode" or are you guessing? How can you state it's size when you have no photo to look at yourself, just a memory of the episode you saw days ago?

 

[Aarantula]

Hey Matt... no need to get crazy or hyper about it. I'm just saying that from what I saw on the episode when I saw it, it did in fact look larger than 3.94" and I'm sure if you see the episode you'd say the same.

The reason for me posting this thread in the first place was not to cause any kind of "public scrutiny" or anything like that but to let the roach fans in on something that I saw that was quite amazing on a television program.

When I started this post I had no intentions of PROVING what I'd seen like someone claiming to have seen Bigfoot or the Jersey devil... just wanted to state what I'd seen and point people in the right direction of something fascinating.

And to answer your questions...
1. "Is this the "Exact Episode" or are you guessing?"
It is the EXACT episode, as I have seen it and my memory does serve me correct in my finding information on it.

2. "How can you state it's size when you have no photo to look at yourself, just a memory of the episode you saw days ago?"
Please see response to question number one for inquiry on my memory's ability to retain information...

You're attack is not appreciated.

 

[Matt K]

Oh grow up. It's not an "attack", I just ask that you (or anyone) research the facts before you get carried away in an attempt to argue publicly that you are absolutely right and your perception and memory is absolutely accurate.

I research cockroaches, and have travelled the world seeking out and gathering data on giant arthropods, focusing on roaches. I am currently associated with several entomologists, universities, and other experts in the field, so my resources are extensive. I would not stand my ground if it were a tarantula, because that seems to be what you might keep and have experience with. If what you saw was really that big, it would be entomological news by now, which it's not. Maybe to you on your TV it looked that big, to you, but I can assure you it was not.

The scientific data is available to all on the interent. Don't take my word for it - search out the facts on the web.