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Stick insects:
Order: Phasmatodea- meaning ghost (Greek)
Largest insects up to 250mm
50 species
Feed only on plants (Phytophagus)
Some species has wings for flight- colorfull wings - also used to deter predators
Lays a single egg at a time- some species lay 100 eggs in 3 months
Eggs look like seeds and are simply dropped on ground.
Some species eggs has a removable part (capitilum) Ants carries eggs to thier nest and eat the capitilum.
This help to disperse the eggs and protect them against fire
They have a hemimotabolic life cycle and the nymphs look like the adults (12mm) They can shed their legs if theartend by predators and regrow them later - Adults can't regrow legs..
When you encounter a stick insect it is likely to be a FEMALE, because they reproduce by PARTHENOGENESIS
Vigin birth- Sterile eggs are laid and they hatch into fertile young stick insects

A close-up.

Depending on the definition there's actually up to 3000 species

The biggest?

From Wikipedia (and other source corroborate)



Fascinating thing this stick insect!!



(From here)

Nice to learn new things like this.

Rayno would like to know if anyone can tell him what sort of stick insect this is. No macro needed, it was HUGE!
Seen in Croc bridge camp a few days ago.

That's not a stick insect!

Its a tree insect!!!

Certainly the largest I have seen, though not the largest on record, which I believe is almost 30cm?

Great sighting!

Spook,

Thank you, Imberbe. {from a very chuffed Rayno }
He's just marched into my office, ruler on hand and feels confident that "his" gogga was about 25cm long.

Special insect that one!

Massive!!!