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Stick Insect
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| Photo Information |
Copyright: Scott McDougall (Taggart)
![Silver Note Writer [C: 0 W: 0 N: 64]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/n-n-s.gif) (196) |
| Genre: Animals |
| Medium: Color |
| Date Taken: 2006-03-21 |
| Categories: Insects |
| Camera: Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ5 |
| Exposure: f/4, 1/60 seconds |
| More Photo Info: [view] |
| Photo Version: Original Version |
| Date Submitted: 2006-03-21 3:30 |
| Viewed: 971 |
| Points: 2 |
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| [Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note |
The Phasmida (stick and leaf insects) are plant-eating insects often resembling sticks or broad leaves. They do not have their hindlegs adapted for jumping as in the closely related order Orthoptera (grasshoppers, katydids, crickets and relatives). Whilst there are about 3000 species, only about 30 are leaf insects.
In the daytime these typically long, slender stick-like insects remain remarkably well camouflaged in their habitat, commonly in woodlands, jungle or gardens. In fact, they may be present in gardens for years without being noticed. Go out at night with a torchlight and they are then active, walking about and feeding. Many are not the boring, placid twigs people imagine them to be. Some species have an amazing range of behaviour, including using spiny legs in defence, as well as chemical defences. They are prepared to shed a leg in an effort to escape (capable of re-growing later if the insects are pre-adults). A number of species are winged in at least one sex – sometimes the wings are brightly coloured and flashed open to startle a potential predator. In the absence of males, many species are able to reproduce by parthenogenesis (egg development without fertilisation) – a handy means of survival.
Eggs are often seed-like in appearance. They are usually dropped onto the ground, where knobs on the eggs of some species are attractive to certain ants. Some species glue eggs to branches, or deposit them in crevices. Despite good camouflage, predators such as birds and animals eat all stages of stick insects; hence females lay many eggs (over 2000 in some species).
Stick insects are the longest insects in the world:
http://www.museums.org.za/bio/insects/phasmida/index.htm |
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- Janice
![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3315 W: 148 N: 6113]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-g-g.gif)
(18648) - [2006-03-21 5:08]
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These are big creatures Scott. I haven't seen one for a long time, so lucky you. And it looks quite a large one too, comparing it to the rose leaves.
Good find, TFS,
Janice
