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Even Cockroaches Cuddle: Madagascar Hissing Roaches Huddle to Conserve Moisture

Madagascar hissing cockroaches huddle when the air is dry, a new study finds. Researchers at Binghamton University observed 32 adult cockroaches forming tight heaps that created a moister microclimate and reduced water loss. The experiment shows even relatively large adult insects use aggregation as a flexible response to low humidity. As climate change lengthens Madagascar's dry season, increased grouping could raise competition and predator exposure.

05:44 PM, 11/22/2025Science
Even Cockroaches Cuddle: Madagascar Hissing Roaches Huddle to Conserve Moisture

As evenings cool and conditions become uncomfortable, many animals cluster for survival—penguins huddle to share body heat, for example. New research shows that Madagascar hissing cockroaches adopt a similar strategy for a different reason: to avoid drying out.

A study published in the journal Ethology found that these relatively large (about two inches long) cockroaches aggregate when air humidity drops. Biologist Lindsey Swierk and undergraduate students in her animal behavior course at Binghamton University divided 32 adult Madagascar hissing cockroaches into groups and manipulated the relative humidity in their enclosures. Under drier conditions, the roaches consistently piled together, forming tight heaps that created a noticeably more humid microclimate inside the cluster.

Aggregation to reduce desiccation has been observed previously in smaller insects and larvae, but this experiment shows that even adult, relatively large insects use social grouping as a flexible behavioral response to low-humidity stress.

"In general, insects can lose water pretty quickly because of their high surface-area-to-volume ratios, and so humidity really affects their ability to retain moisture," Swierk said. "Our research shows that even larger adult insects, which might be expected to resist low humidity better than smaller or larval stages, still use aggregation as a behavioral adaptation to reduce the risk of water loss."

The findings carry clear ecological implications. Climate change is lengthening dry seasons in Madagascar, and researchers expect these cockroaches to aggregate more often as aridity increases. Greater clustering could intensify competition for limited resources within populations and make groups more conspicuous to predators, altering local food-web dynamics.

Far from a curiosity, this behavior highlights how simple social responses can help animals cope with environmental stress and how those responses may change as climate patterns shift.

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