"I'm not going down there alone," I said.
"Come on. Man up," said my boss.
"No, I'm not going down there alone," I repeated.
"What a pansy," said my boss.
"If you're so tough, you go down there by yourself," I challenged.
"Fine," he said, and called out, "Hey Larry, go down to the storeroom with sissy boy and bring up the supplies."
The storeroom was in the bowels of Chicago's Union Station, and it was not the rats that bothered me - it was the roaches. I have lived in cockroach infested apartments in the city, and aside from having to keep foodstuffs in resealable storage bags, and covering unattended drinks, we coexisted with minimal intercourse.
But the cockroaches that lived in the cool, dank, subterranean basement were different. When you unlocked the storage room door and flicked on the light, they stared at you. These suckers were four and five inches long, and they would turn their heads as one and look right at you. They did not run, they did not hide, they watched you, and you could see them watching you.
They also refused to budge. When you tried to brush them away, they would hold their ground and tickle the hair on your arm with their long, wriggling antennae. The first time I went down to the storage room, by the time I had retrieved the supplies I needed, several of them were crawling on me (I swear one of them was trying to pick my pocket). That was when I vowed never to go down their alone again.
Now a team of scientists have proven that cockroaches have individual personalities - and in certain ways they exhibit the same traits as human beings. I have long maintained that animals have individual personalities, but I was referring mainly to mammals, and certain species of birds. Friends who have snakes and lizards contend their pets also display individual personalities. But I had never extended this courtesy to insects.
Personality is defined as the complex of characteristics that distinguishes an individual, especially in relation to others, including the set of emotional qualities, the individual's character traits, attitudes, or habits, and the totality of an individual's behavioral tendencies.
That's a mouthful to attribute to a bug.
The species is over 300 million years old, possesses the ability to survive a nuclear blast, as evidenced in the aftermath of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, are predicted to replace man on the evolutionary scale, and even have their own theme song, "La Cucaracha."
Previous studies had demonstrated individual personalities in other invertebrates, but unlike ants or bees, cockroach societies are not based on hierarchical caste systems. Isaac Planas-Sitjà, a behavioral sociologist at the Free University of Brussels, Belgium, and the lead author of the study, stated, "No one had looked at the American cockroach. They are all independent, even though they are gregarious."
Planas-Sitjà also explained that cockroaches made perfect test subjects because of their decision-making abilities, and the extensive research that already exists. "Cockroaches are a simple animal, but they can reach a complex decision," he said.
The researchers attached radio frequency identification (RFID) chips to the thoraxes of 304 Periplaneta Americanas and introduced them to new environments to observe their reactions.
The scientists divided the animals into 19 groups of 16 individuals and placed each group in a brightly lit, plastic circular arena. The arena contained two identical Plexiglas disks raised on short legs. The disks were covered with red filters the light-phobic insects perceived as shelters. Each shelter was large enough for all 16 cockroaches to gather beneath.
The scientists monitored their behavior and determined the cockroaches exhibited such traits as boldness, shyness, sociability, and aggressiveness. The shy roaches ran for cover as soon as they entered the arena, whereas bold individuals spent more time exploring.
As Planas-Sitjà further explained, cockroaches are known for their aversion to light and their affinity for protection and groups, so it might be surmised that all the cockroaches would immediately gather under a shelter. But this was not the case. He attributes this result to the differences in individual personalities and behavior.
Another startling revelation was by the end of the test, the cockroaches displayed a group mentality where all the insects gathered together under one of the Plexiglas shelters.
“There is a collective dynamic — a social influence — that dilutes the individual personality differences,” Planas-Sitjà says. “So in the group, you end up with a similar behavior in everyone.”
Planas-Sitjà surmises this could help explain cockroaches amazing survivability. As more aggressive individuals explore potential areas for colonization, shyer individuals maintain established nests. Odile Petit, an ethologist at the French national research agency CNRS in Strasbourg, said, “They’ve shown that individuals and their personalities matter even in simple animals."
Planas-Sitjà said what surprised him most was that no matter what combination of personalities existed in the group, by the end of the experiment all of the cockroaches ended up beneath the same shelter. "We have a group of equal individuals that reach a choice, and have consensus decision making as we can see in sheep, bats, monkeys, fish, birds, or also humans in this case," he said.
So the next time you think about stepping on a cockroach, keep in mind you may be committing pesticide.
"Come on. Man up," said my boss.
"No, I'm not going down there alone," I repeated.
"What a pansy," said my boss.
"If you're so tough, you go down there by yourself," I challenged.
"Fine," he said, and called out, "Hey Larry, go down to the storeroom with sissy boy and bring up the supplies."
The storeroom was in the bowels of Chicago's Union Station, and it was not the rats that bothered me - it was the roaches. I have lived in cockroach infested apartments in the city, and aside from having to keep foodstuffs in resealable storage bags, and covering unattended drinks, we coexisted with minimal intercourse.
But the cockroaches that lived in the cool, dank, subterranean basement were different. When you unlocked the storage room door and flicked on the light, they stared at you. These suckers were four and five inches long, and they would turn their heads as one and look right at you. They did not run, they did not hide, they watched you, and you could see them watching you.
They also refused to budge. When you tried to brush them away, they would hold their ground and tickle the hair on your arm with their long, wriggling antennae. The first time I went down to the storage room, by the time I had retrieved the supplies I needed, several of them were crawling on me (I swear one of them was trying to pick my pocket). That was when I vowed never to go down their alone again.
Now a team of scientists have proven that cockroaches have individual personalities - and in certain ways they exhibit the same traits as human beings. I have long maintained that animals have individual personalities, but I was referring mainly to mammals, and certain species of birds. Friends who have snakes and lizards contend their pets also display individual personalities. But I had never extended this courtesy to insects.
Personality is defined as the complex of characteristics that distinguishes an individual, especially in relation to others, including the set of emotional qualities, the individual's character traits, attitudes, or habits, and the totality of an individual's behavioral tendencies.
That's a mouthful to attribute to a bug.
The species is over 300 million years old, possesses the ability to survive a nuclear blast, as evidenced in the aftermath of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, are predicted to replace man on the evolutionary scale, and even have their own theme song, "La Cucaracha."
Previous studies had demonstrated individual personalities in other invertebrates, but unlike ants or bees, cockroach societies are not based on hierarchical caste systems. Isaac Planas-Sitjà, a behavioral sociologist at the Free University of Brussels, Belgium, and the lead author of the study, stated, "No one had looked at the American cockroach. They are all independent, even though they are gregarious."
Planas-Sitjà also explained that cockroaches made perfect test subjects because of their decision-making abilities, and the extensive research that already exists. "Cockroaches are a simple animal, but they can reach a complex decision," he said.
The researchers attached radio frequency identification (RFID) chips to the thoraxes of 304 Periplaneta Americanas and introduced them to new environments to observe their reactions.
The scientists divided the animals into 19 groups of 16 individuals and placed each group in a brightly lit, plastic circular arena. The arena contained two identical Plexiglas disks raised on short legs. The disks were covered with red filters the light-phobic insects perceived as shelters. Each shelter was large enough for all 16 cockroaches to gather beneath.
The scientists monitored their behavior and determined the cockroaches exhibited such traits as boldness, shyness, sociability, and aggressiveness. The shy roaches ran for cover as soon as they entered the arena, whereas bold individuals spent more time exploring.
As Planas-Sitjà further explained, cockroaches are known for their aversion to light and their affinity for protection and groups, so it might be surmised that all the cockroaches would immediately gather under a shelter. But this was not the case. He attributes this result to the differences in individual personalities and behavior.
Another startling revelation was by the end of the test, the cockroaches displayed a group mentality where all the insects gathered together under one of the Plexiglas shelters.
“There is a collective dynamic — a social influence — that dilutes the individual personality differences,” Planas-Sitjà says. “So in the group, you end up with a similar behavior in everyone.”
Planas-Sitjà surmises this could help explain cockroaches amazing survivability. As more aggressive individuals explore potential areas for colonization, shyer individuals maintain established nests. Odile Petit, an ethologist at the French national research agency CNRS in Strasbourg, said, “They’ve shown that individuals and their personalities matter even in simple animals."
Planas-Sitjà said what surprised him most was that no matter what combination of personalities existed in the group, by the end of the experiment all of the cockroaches ended up beneath the same shelter. "We have a group of equal individuals that reach a choice, and have consensus decision making as we can see in sheep, bats, monkeys, fish, birds, or also humans in this case," he said.
So the next time you think about stepping on a cockroach, keep in mind you may be committing pesticide.
Gipsy Kings - La Cucaracha
Nope! Can't dig up any admiration or sympathy for the little buggers! LOL
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