r/evolution 5d ago

question Why not evolving cockroachs yo be smaller?

I'm sure not the only one that's annoyed by cockroaches this summer, especially how big and disgusting they are.

So I got an idea why not just kill all the big ones and spear the smaller size, this causes only the small one to be available for reproduction.

One generation after another, all cockroaches 🪳 will evolve smaller, till they reach the size of an ant 🐜

0 Upvotes

14 comments sorted by

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15

u/astreeter2 5d ago

Good luck catching all of the 1 quadrillion cockroaches in the world so you can sort out the small ones.

8

u/strumthebuilding 5d ago

We’ve been doing this, dude - you’re late to the party. This is why we don’t have foot-longs.

-3

u/__F7__ 5d ago

What is foot-longs?

3

u/MsE0 5d ago

30 centimeters 

5

u/Realsorceror 5d ago

You're not gonna believe this, but that already happened. Termites and cockroaches are close cousins. And of course there are smaller roach species and other insects that compete for the "small roach" niche.

0

u/__F7__ 5d ago

Damn, that is a very good information I didn't know that

1

u/Impressive-Target699 4d ago

I mean, termites are pretty small and they're nested within roaches.

0

u/60Hertz 4d ago

If we could selective kill by size why not just kill them all?

1

u/__F7__ 4d ago

Because there will be always that hide. But my artificial keeping the small one save, they will mate with those big ones that hide, giving birth to smaller generation

0

u/bernpfenn 4d ago

you against trillions, i don't think you have any chance with that plan.
Besides, anything still alive has my respect.

1

u/geigergeist 4d ago

Let's just kill all life on earth that has every right to be here just like us

0

u/__F7__ 4d ago

Survival for the fittest. Many other specie had went extinct, around billion, throughout history of earth. And i didn't kill them, i said make them smaller. The fact you compare a human life to a cockhorse makes me worry!