Cockroaches have been revealed as the fartiest animal in Britain, a nugget of knowledge one hopes never to witness in person.
The skittling insects were named and shamed by Rentokil as releasing more methane in relation to their body weight than any other creature in Britain.
The American cockroach, a common pest throughout the UK, can give off up to 35g a year of methane; more than 43 times their average body weight. However the firm put paid to the myth that cockroaches fart every 15 minutes, with experts at the pest control company concluding it was much less.
Cockroaches don't fart every 15 minutes, but they are EXTREMELY windy
Colm Moore, Rentokil Technical Manager, said: “Cockroaches, along with other insects such as centipedes and beetles, are all major producers of methane. Cockroaches, however, are the only one which is considered a pest in the UK, as they are carriers of harmful bacteria, particularly Salmonella.”
Cows are more usually renowned for their poisonous pong, with the malignant methane of ruminant livestock contributing to 8% of all British greenhouse gases.
In June, Defra asked the National Physical Laboratory in Teddington to audit cow burps and farts as part of a £12.6m project to further understand what role agricultural methods play in climate change. What a job.
As you digest these gaseous facts, flick through the slideshow below, to bring you up to speed with the world's fartiest animals.