Blaberus giganteus
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
Blaberus giganteus, the Central American giant cave cockroach or Brazilian cockroach, is a cockroach belonging to the family Blaberidae. One of the world's largest cockroaches, it is native to the warm parts of the Neotropical realm.
Blaberus giganteus is considered one of the largest cockroaches in the world, with males reaching lengths of up to 7.5 cm (3.0 in) and females 10 cm (3.9 in), although others list 9 cm (3.5 in) as the maximum length. These cockroaches are lightly built with flattened bodies, allowing them to hide in cracks from predators. Their bodies are brown with black markings. The wingspan of these insects is usually around 15 cm (6 in). Both males and females bear paired appendages (cerci) on the last abdominal segment, but only the males have a pair of tiny hair-like appendages called styli. Adults bear two pairs of wings folding back over the abdomen. The heavier females are less likely to fly.
This species is endemic to the Neotropics and can be found in caves and rainforests in Mexico, Guatemala, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Brazil, Trinidad and Tobago, Cuba, Hispaniola (Dominican Republic... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Braulio Carrillo National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 2 | Yasuní National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 3 | Main Ridge Forest Reserve | 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago | |
| 4 | Tenorio Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 5 | Tambopata National Reserve | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 6 | Manu National Park | 🇵🇪 Peru | |
| 7 | Piedras Blancas National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 8 | Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 9 | Soberanía National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 10 | Arenal Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 11 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 12 | Parque Natural Metropolitano | 🇵🇦 Panama |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Giant Cave Cockroach sighting in Arenal Volcano National Park on a given day, based on 18 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 68th most-seen of the 302 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Giant Cave Cockroach in Arenal Volcano National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January, July, September and November, the lowest months. That is one of Arenal Volcano National Park's driest months, with about 140 mm of rain against 500 mm in November.
Between 7 and 10 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Giant Cave Cockroach sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.
10th of 12
Of the 12 parks where we can rate Giant Cave Cockroach sightings, Arenal Volcano National Park ranks 10th at about 10%. The best odds are in Braulio Carrillo National Park (Costa Rica, about 30%), Yasuní National Park (Ecuador, about 20%) and Main Ridge Forest Reserve (Trinidad and Tobago, about 20%).
Same order: Blattodea
The closest relatives of the Giant Cave Cockroach that you can see in Arenal Volcano National Park (order Blattodea, Cockroaches and Termites) are Megaloblatta blaberoides (about 10%), Rhynchotermes perarmatus (about 10%) and American Cockroach (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Giant Cave Cockroach is recorded against all the insects logged in Arenal Volcano National Park (18 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
