Supersized stick insect discovered in Wet Tropics

Phys.Org ^ | August 01, 2025 | James Cook University

[Carry_Okie]

Two specimens of the species have now been included in the Queensland Museum to be used by other scientists to help with species identification, with wider legal implications for ecosystem conservation.

Fixed.

As if these "scientists" actually intended to DO any conservation.

[lee martell]

Expect to hear about a native person from that part of the world, being stopped by American TSA “wanders, as this person tries to smuggle a couple of Stick Bugs into the country for immediate sale to private pet collectors.
There are some bug, snake and spider lovers, for whom money is no object of concern. They want to be the first in their Blog Group to boast of owning something exotic and rare, no matter how repulsive it may appear to average people.

[BradyLS]

I wonder how closely related it is to the critically endangered Lord Howe/Ball’s Pyramid stick insect?

[Veto!]

Which brings up the question, how do they reproduce?
Rub two sticks together?

[Red Badger]

That’s foreplay...........

[SunkenCiv]

[Veto!]

LOL.

But not if they follow through. “Baby you can light my fire...”

[Veto!]

“Baby you can light my fire...
Try to set the night on fire...”

[Blurb2350]

Then the male sticks it in.

[redfreedom]

By coincidence we had something similar today on our UTV windshield. We were in the forest working and decided to take a break. I noticed what looked like a piece of grass on the windshield. Then it started to move. Upon close inspection it had legs and little antennas. It was cute. About half inch long.

[redfreedom]

I occasionally wonder the same thing about two obese people.

[Deaf Smith]

In keeping up Australian tradition, I would guess these Walking Sticks can also kill a person?

[Silentgypsy]

Are you an entomologist, a hobbyist or a genius?

[tumblindice]

Poisonous, venomous or toxic. Count on it.

[equaviator]

Yeahhh...I can see myself dropping one those down the back of Hillary’s pantsuit...Sweet!

[BradyLS]

Not an entomologist. Certainly not a genius! Hobbyist insofar as FReeper SunkenCiv (and many others) keep us posted on all sorts of new developments in history, archeology, natural history, etc. I’m certain anything I learned about the Lord Howe/Ball’s Pyramid stick insect I first learned on FreeRepublic! 🙂

[Songcraft]

Here's some background music for this thread...

      "Stick It"     (song link)

[Hot Tabasco]

Unless it wore a fluorescent yellow jacket and carried a flashlight, I'd never see it in my back yard tree.......

That thing is totally camouflaged in its environment....

[SunkenCiv]

:^) Thanks BLS! Somewhere in 1st or 2nd grade, a classmate asked our teacher what kind of diet a walking stick needed. That was the first time I’d ever heard of such a critter. I didn’t see my first one (and know it, anyway) until my late teens, when some rental property my folks owned was getting repaired (tenants started it on fire) and there were a bunch of walking sticks wandering around on the outside walls, for some reason.