The true
death's head cockroach (
Blaberus craniifer) is a
cockroach, similar to the
discoid cockroach and is a nice display animal for
entomologists due to its striking appearance. Care for these animals is quite minimal and little odour is associated with them. They do give off a mild odour if significantly frightened, but the effect is generally brief. The name death's head comes from the markings on the top of the thorax. Adults of
B. craniifer have wings, but do not fly, while juveniles do not have wings at all. This species also cannot climb smooth vertical surfaces, such as glass, which makes them easy to house in an open aquarium or similar.