#4122 · 🦗 bugs, crickets & other insects
American Cockroach
🇳🇱 Grote kakkerlak ·Periplaneta americana
📍 University of Connecticut, Storrs Mansfield, CT, US
📍 Honolulu County, HI, USA
📍 Indianola, MS 38751, USA
📍 Jawa Tengah, ID
📍 Front St W, Toronto, ON, CA
📍 16021 Adelante St, Irwindale, CA 91702, USA
10 photos from iNaturalist (Creative Commons) · credits & licences
- 1. © Len Worthington · CC BY-SA 4.0
- 2. © Mike Keeling · CC BY-ND 4.0
- 3. © dilettantiquity · CC BY-SA 4.0
- 4. © Sean McCann · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
- 5. University of Connecticut, Storrs Mansfield, CT, US:© Christina S. Baer · CC BY 4.0
- 6. Honolulu County, HI, USA:© Tony Iwane · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 7. Indianola, MS 38751, USA:© Isaac Boden · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 8. Jawa Tengah, ID:© M Nur Yahya · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 9. Front St W, Toronto, ON, CA:© a8w3086 · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 10. 16021 Adelante St, Irwindale, CA 91702, USA:© Steven Kurniawidjaja · CC BY-NC 4.0
what is it?
The American cockroach ( Periplaneta americana ), also colloquially known as the waterbug , but not a true waterbug since it is not aquatic, or misidentified as the palmetto bug (see Florida woods cockroach for the differences), is the largest species of common cockroach, and often considered a pest. It is also known as the ship cockroach , kakerlac , and Bombay canary .
base stats
Bars compare against all animals on log scales: up to 300,000 Dutch and 600,000 worldwide sightings (the most-seen species), 150 t (blue whale), 30 m and 400 years (Greenland shark).
fun facts
- Spotted 1 times in the Netherlands on iNaturalist.
- 47,036 observations worldwide on iNaturalist.
- Scientifically named in 1758 (268 years ago).
fact sheet
- English
- American Cockroach
- Nederlands
- Grote kakkerlak
- scientific name
- Periplaneta americana
- class
- Insecta
- order
- Blattodea
- family
- Blattidae
- sightings in NL
- 1
- sightings in Europe
- 3,370
- sightings worldwide
- 47,036
- GBIF records in NL
- 97
- weight
- —
- length
- —
- lifespan
- —
- named
- 1758
relatives· Blattidae
Sources: iNaturalist taxon 82231, Wikidata Q267996, GBIF 2000152, Wikipedia (EN), Wikipedia (NL). Intro text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.