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Ghost
Story
Stick
Insects are all members of a group of insects known as the
"Phasmids". 'Phasma' is a Latin word meaning ghost!
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Well
established
Indian
Stick Insects were first brought to Europe by a French scientist
in 1901.
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Clever
camouflage
Some
stick insects have something in common with chameleons; they
can change their colour to suit their surroundings.
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Outnumbered
Only
about one in one thousand Indian Stick Insects is male!
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Rock
on
Many
Indian Stick Insects rock from side to side. Although they
look like they are dancing they are really just trying to
look more like branches swaying in the breeze.
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Wild
West
In
some warm western areas of the British Isles (the Scilly Isles,
Devon, Cornwall and parts of Ireland) stick insect can now be
found living in the wild.
DO
NOT RELEASE YOURS OUTSIDE: IT IS AGAINST THE LAW AND THEY
WILL PROBABLY DIE.
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Redundant
Males
Indian
Stick Insects are parthenogenetic. That means the females
don't need to mate to be able to lay fertile eggs that will
hatch.
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Dead
Good
Sometimes when disturbed stick insects will 'play dead' for
a few minutes. A good way of tricking predators.
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2500
and counting
More
than 2500 species of stick insects are known to science but
there are plenty more still waiting to be described for the
first time.
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Super
sticky
Stick Insects have suckers and claws on their feet, allowing
them to walk up vertical walls and even upside down.
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Scary
scorpion stance
Baby
stick insects, known as nymphs, sometimes curl their tails
over their backs to fool predators into thinking they are
small scorpions. But don't be fooled yourself; they are harmless.
Special Offer!
If you're interested in stick insects, simply enter your details below to get a free copy of our 'care tips sheet' (RRP: £1.00) emailed straight to you!
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