Name A Giant Cockroach For Your Valentine At The Bronx Zoo

THE BRONX, NY — Picking a Valentine's Day gift can be a tough, but the Bronx Zoo has one that's crawling with romance. The zoo is again letting New Yorkers name one of its famous Madagascar hissing cockroaches after their lovers as an amorous gesture.

For the bargain price of $15, you can attach the name of your special someone — or someone you don't particularly like — to one of the horned insects, which are the world's largest roach species. Just fill out a form and the zoo will send a "hiss-worthy" digital certificate to the recipient on Feb. 13, the day before Valentine's Day.

If the honor of having an enormous exotic bug named after your valentine isn't enough, the zoo has several packages with roach-themed gifts. For $75 you can name a roach and snag a pair of roach-print socks, a package of chocolate roaches, a roach lapel pin and a printed roach-naming certificate, ostensibly so you can frame and display it with pride.

The zoo's website says it's a way to show your partner that "your love is eternal." But while the roach will certainly last longer than flowers, they only live as long as five years.

The Bronx Zoo started the roach-naming program in 2011. The zoo houses hissing cockroaches alongside lemurs, crocodiles and other exotic animals in its "Madagascar!" exhibit.

(Lead image by Julie Larsen Maher/Bronx Zoo)