Things you'd rather not know about cockroaches

With a body length of 6 inches and a wingspan of 12 inches, a variety of cockroach found in South America is the largest living today. These pesky insects have been around for over 300 million years; and with 5,000 species still thriving, they show no signs of extinction any time soon.

Here are some interesting facts about these creepy creatures:

• Cockroaches can live for a week without their head. What kills them is their inability to drink water since they can live without food for a month.
• Some varieties of female cockroach only need to mate once in order to continue reproduce for the rest of their lives (their life span being about a year).
• Cockroaches can hold their breath for 40 minutes!
• Roaches are even found in the arctic and antarctic. They survive the extreme cold by moving in with humans.

Reference: Yucky Discover.com