
In cockroach fights, bet on the roach with the bigger respiratory system
Feb. 23 (UPI) -- When cockroaches square off, more often than not, the roach with the bigger respiratory system emerges victorious. Male cockroaches compete with one another for access to breeding females, but even the most aggressive cockroaches don't fight all comers. Advertisement Like other animals, roaches do their best to avoid unwinnable conflicts by sizing up the size and power of would-be opponents. Sometimes, that's easier said than done. According to a new study, published Tuesday in the journal Animal Behavior, mismatches between cockroach competitors aren't always obvious. To better understand the sexual competition between male cockroaches, scientists paired Madagascan hissing cockroaches in a makeshift arena and watched how the tussles played out. Researchers did their bes...