Groups and Locations

These giant  Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches (Gromphadorhina portentosa) at the University of South Carolina are excellent mothers, at least for an insect! The females carry their developing embryos inside their abdomens to protect them from predators. They then "give birth" to live, young roaches that look a lot like their parents, except they are much smaller! Animals that carry their developing eggs internally are said to be ovoviviparous. This form of development probably leads to adaptive maternal effects on offspring. The newly hatched nymphs grow to weigh about as much as a mouse when fully grown.