Identifying insect in Florida

Question

I'm on holiday in Florida and have just found the scariest insect on the pool deck. It looked just like a cockroach (body length of about an inch) but had back legs that were much bigger and were jointed and shaped like a frogs, and the thing could jump - quite high too! It didn't seem particularly afraid of me the way cockroaches scuttle away if you go near them, and the roach spray did absolutely nothing to it! It eventually sat still long enough for me to whack it with my shoe! What the h**l was it??? Thanks guys!

Answer 1

maybe a palmetto bug...

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000X5REYC/?tag...

if so, it is in the cockroach family....and yes, they can also fly! Did it stink when you killed it? I lived in FL at one time and despised these roaches!

lol! I lived there for about 5 years before I realized they could fly! Talk about a shocker when you've got one cornered and all of a sudden it starts flying! LOL!...the picture in the link...The ones I was used to were darker in color - dark brown almost black,....I hate even thinking about them! And yeah, we would catch them in a container and through them to the snakes (great pets in FL for all the creepy crawlys!)...but if you squished one...yuck, what a stink! Like a rotten egg or something fowl like that...you never wanted to kill them in your house if you didn't have to...awful!

Answer 2

possibly a cricket??