Artist’s illustration of the Chicxulub asteroid entering Earth’s atmosphere 66 million years ago, triggering events that caused a mass extermination.
When the asteroid now known as the Chicxulub impactor fell from outer space and slammed into the Earth 66 million years ago, cockroaches were there. The violent impact caused a massive earthquake, and scientists think it also triggered volcanic eruptions thousands of miles from the impact site. Three-quarters of all plants and animals on Earth died, including all dinosaurs, except for some species that were ancestors of today’s birds.
How could roaches that are just a couple of inches long survive when so many powerful animals went extinct? It turns out that they were nicely equipped to live through a meteoric catastrophe.
If you’ve ever seen a cockroach, you’ve probably noticed that their bodies are very flat. This is not an accident. Flatter insects can squeeze themselves into tighter places. This enables them to hide almost anywhere – and it may have helped them survive the Chicxulub impact.
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Cockroaches have flat bodies that help them squeeze through tiny spaces. They’re also strong and fast.
After the meteor struck, temperatures on Earth’s surface skyrocketed. Many animals had nowhere to hide, but roaches could take shelter in tiny soil crevices, which provide excellent protection from heat.
The meteor’s collision triggered a cascade of effects. It stirred up so much dust that the sky darkened. As the sun dimmed, temperatures plunged and conditions became wintry around the world. With little sunlight, surviving plants struggled to grow, and many other organisms that relied on those plants died hungry.
Not cockroaches, though. Unlike some insects that strongly prefer to eat one specific plant, cockroaches are omnivorous scavengers. This means they will eat most foods that come from animals or plants as well as cardboard, some kinds of clothing, and even poop. Having appetites that aren’t picky has allowed cockroaches to survive lean times since the Chicxulub extinction and other natural disasters.
Source: SciTechDaily
Published in Cockroach, Dinosaurs, Extinction, Extinction Event, Science, The Conversation and West Virginia University
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