They're good at camouflage!
They have evolved to look like sticks, even swaying in the wind to look like twigs.
They feel the vibes.
They have poor eyesight and don't have ears. They sense by feeling vibrations around them.
Drop it like it's hot.
They have the ability to drop a limb if attacked. These limbs can be when they moult.
Lifespan: 6 months - 1 year
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Threats: Birds, small reptiles and rodents due to it’s small size
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Distribution: Native to New Zealand but accidentally introduced around the world
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Habitat: Forest floor
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Appearance: About 80-100 mm in length, ranging from a light green to a darkish brown in colour
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Diet & Feeding: Leaf litter
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Social Behaviour: As the insects are surrounded by food and have no need to find a mate, they have little natural inclination to move far
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Males and females: They breed parthenogenetically - meaning that the young hatch from eggs produced without fertilization by a male
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Number of young: They lay several hundred eggs
If a young stick insect loses a leg it is sometimes able to grow a new one in a process called regeneration
