You've probably heard scientists refer to cockroaches as the most indestructible creatures on earth, and that they'll outlive humans no matter what disaster might befall the planet (world war, mega-meteors, zombie apocalypse, you name it). Now there's more proof that the toughest of these critters are spreading across the globe.
Photo: AP/University of Florida
According to Associated Press, Rutgers University biologists Jessica Ware and Dominic Evangelista have confirmed that the Japanese cockroach (Periplaneta japonica), a species capable of surviving extremely cold temperatures that would kill just about any other living thing, has found a way from its native Asia to North America, possibly by hitchhiking on imported plants. Specimens have recently been located in Manhattan's West Side, where they could already be competing for turf against domestic species.
"There has been some confirmation that it does very well in cold climates,” said Ware, “so it is very conceivable that it could live outdoors during winter in New York.”
While the Rutgers team says competition with domestic roaches should keep the Japonica population in check, not all scientists agree. There's also a remote possibility that the the invading species might interbreed with local bugs to create a super-cockroach, but most experts say that's not likely... and we hope they're right.