Tokyo: A Japanese zoo is trying to do the impossible — improve the image of cockroaches, by putting on an exhibition of one of the world’s most hated insects. With a whopping 4,000 species around the planet, the hardy creature can survive almost anywhere, but is most commonly encountered by city-dwellers in grubby corners of the kitchen, or roaming around the floor at night.

want one? The zoo is offering the chance to get your hands on a Madagascar Hissing Cockroach (above), which can grow as long as 7 cm. Pic/Thinkstock