This species plays a vital part in the ecosystem by consuming dead leaves, eucalyptus in particular, and recycling other matter.

They may burrow down in soil to a depth of about 1 m (3 ft 3 in),[1] where they make permanent homes and feed on collected dry leaf litter.

The pronotum is a prominent plate-like structure that covers the first segment of the thorax, has short tubercles at the sides, and can exceed 15 mm.

[10] As in other hemimetabolous insects, the immature stages of the giant burrowing cockroaches are referred to as nymphs.

[3] The species build burrows that can stretch up to one metre underground,[11] which is where it stores food and lives permanently.

The cockroach can be found in both dry and wet areas of Australia, including rainforests, woodlands and savannas.

Common wet areas the cockroach is found in include Cooktown, Magnetic island and the Whitsundays.

Locations that are in the mid-range between dry and wet regions where the cockroach is present include Coen, Rochford Scrub and Mount Garnet.

[14] Populations of the cockroach can be geographically isolated due to unsuitable ground soil or by water.

The species tends to prefer the drier savanna areas west of the Great Dividing Range.

The cockroaches occupy the end of the burrows, which is widened up to one metre wide to contain the collected litter.

Males tend to wander in search of a mate, whilst females collect litter to take back into their burrows.

The hissing sound is produced by the expulsion of air from the cockroach’s spiracles, which is an external respiratory opening on the abdomen.

[15] Reproductive behaviour between the cockroaches tends to occur at night time, and is based mostly on scent, taste and touch.

Unlike most insects, which lay eggs, the female Giant burrowing cockroach gives birth to her young, and protects her offspring in her underground alcove, providing them with leaf litter she gathers overnight.

[16] Depending on the temperature, they perform different patterns of eating, carbon dioxide production,[17] and metabolic rates.

When an individual lacks nutrition, they are susceptible to adopting a "thrifty phenotype", which prioritises fat storage over reproductive development to be able to handle dangerous environment conditions.

In optimal environmental conditions, this thrifty phenotype has the potential to become maladaptive, thus causing excessive fat storage and metabolic disease.

Its large size, sedentary behavioural lifestyle and limited husbandry needs contribute to the increase in popularity for the species as a pet both in Australia and internationally.

The tank or terrarium should have clean, fine to medium grain river sand, with some being wet and the other end of the enclosure dry.

The substrate is changed regularly after a few months, taking into account the size of the tank and the number of cockroaches present.

Their main habitat includes forests and land in northern Queensland, which has been cleared intensely from the year 2000.

Large centipedes find shelter in the burrows of the cockroaches and can prey on young nymphs.