Now There’s a Cockroach That Can Survive Even a Cold New York Winter

The cockroach likely stowed away in the soil of one of the park's ornamental plants, which means it visited the city's latest hot spot before you did.

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Even the critters are traveling overseas to take a walk down New York’s High Line, a run-down elevated train track in New York that was converted into a posh West Side park and tourist attraction.

Scientists said in an article published in the Journal of Economic Entomology that a cockroach spotted in the park in 2012 is in fact an Asian species that has never been identified in the United States, the Associated Press reports. The Periplaneta japonica is believed to be particularly hardy and can survive New York’s cold winters.

The newcomers, believed to have stowed away in the soil of one of the park’s ornamental plants, are expected to fight it out with the city’s local population. They may be able to survive the winter cold, but will they be able to take on the summer crowds?

[AP]