Periplaneta americana
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
The American cockroach (Periplaneta americana) is the largest species of cockroach routinely found in homes, and often considered a pest. In certain regions of the U.S. it is colloquially known as the waterbug, though it is not a true waterbug since it is not aquatic, nor a Hemipteran. It is also known as the ship cockroach, kakerlac, and Bombay canary. It is often misidentified as a palmetto bug.
Despite their name, American cockroaches are native to Africa and the Middle East. They are believed to have been introduced to the Americas only from the 17th century onward as a result of human commercial patterns, including the Atlantic slave trade.
Despite the name, none of the Periplaneta species is native to the Americas; P. americana was introduced to what is now the United States from Africa as early as 1625. They are now common in tropical climates because human activity has extended the insects' range of habitation, and are virtually cosmopolitan in distribution as a result of global commerce.
Of all common cockroach species, the American cockroach has the largest body size, and has the longest life cycle, up to about 700 days... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bahía de Loreto National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 2 | Ostional Wildlife Refuge | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 3 | Braulio Carrillo National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 4 | Las Baulas Marine National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 5 | Everglades National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Taroko National Park | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | |
| 7 | Death Valley National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Galápagos Islands | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 9 | Soberanía National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 10 | Parque Natural Metropolitano | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 11 | Tortuguero National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 12 | Tijuca National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 13 | Manuel Antonio National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 14 | Big Bend National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 15 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 16 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 17 | Cumbres de Monterrey National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 18 | Arenal Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 19 | Saguaro National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 20 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Davao City | 🇵🇭 Philippines | |
| 2 | Đà Nẵng | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | |
| 3 | Kuwait City | 🇰🇼 Kuwait | |
| 4 | São Luís | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 5 | Santo Domingo | 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic | |
| 6 | Antalya | 🇹🇷 Turkey | |
| 7 | Zhuhai [Macau] | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 8 | Casablanca | 🇲🇦 Morocco | |
| 9 | Tasikmalaya | 🇮🇩 Indonesia | |
| 10 | Cebu City | 🇵🇭 Philippines |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an American Cockroach sighting in Table Mountain National Park on a given day, based on 59 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 82nd most-seen of the 344 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April–May, July, September and November–February
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report an American Cockroach in Table Mountain National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March, June, August and October, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most American Cockroach sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is seen both by day and at night.
15th of 20
Of the 20 parks where we can rate American Cockroach sightings, Table Mountain National Park ranks 15th at about 10%. The best odds are in Bahía de Loreto National Park (Mexico, about 20%), Ostional Wildlife Refuge (Costa Rica, about 20%) and Braulio Carrillo National Park (Costa Rica, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the American Cockroach is recorded against all the insects logged in Table Mountain National Park (59 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.
