OH, LORD, IT’S A HOWE
ISLAND STICK BUG!!!
I have a
fondness for all things Australian. I do not have a fondness for bugs, but for
this critically endangered Australian insect I’ll make an exception.
Let’s
meet the Lord Howe Island Stick Bug!
Photo credit: Rohan Cleave, Melbourne Zoo
Lord
Howe Island is a small crescent piece of land east of Sydney, Australia. At one
time, in the not too distant past, it was home to the Lord Howe Stick Bug
pictured above. Then one day, a trade ship ran aground on the shores of the
island. Soon, some rats escaped from the ship. Those rats, which were not indigenous to the island, feasted on Lord Howe Stick Bugs.
As a result, for eighty years, it was believed that this unusual insect was
extinct.
Unexpectedly,
the insect was rediscovered in 2001 high atop Ball’s Pyramid. Ball’s Pyramid is
an inhospitable and unlikely refuge. The bug was found living in a single bush
in a crevice of rock. Two researchers, including Rohan Cleave (above Arkive photo
credit), from the Melbourne Zoo, brought two of the stick bugs back to the
mainland and began a breeding program.
Ball's
Pyramid. Credit: Fanny Schertzer; Wikimedia
The Lord
Howe Island Stick Bug is the world’s most endangered invertebrate, so the breeding
program, which is ongoing in Melbourne, is very important.
This bug
is a flightless nocturnal insect. At birth it is green and it is referred to as
a nymph, which simply means that it is immature. Then it goes through several molts (loss of skin) or sloughs (removal of outer covering).
After each molt, it grows and by the time it is six months old it has reached
maturity and is dark brown or black in color.
Immature Lord Howe Island Stick Bug
Photo: Rohan Cleave
(Melbourne Zoo)
Mature Lord
Howe Island Stick Bugs will clump together for protection in what is called ‘stacking.’
There are only 20 to 30 individuals left in the wild, and they are at risk of
being wiped out by any random event of nature or weather at Ball’s Pyramid.
Stacking Lord Howe Stick Bug
Photo Credit: Rohan Cleave
For more information on this unusual
insect, visit the following sites:
I found
a very interesting and informative video for you. Enjoy!
I hope
you enjoyed this week’s buggy post. It is a bit of a creepy looking bug, but
still a wonder of nature. I’m sure you agree.
Jeanne
E. Rogers, Award Winning Author
The Sword of Demelza and The
Gift of Sunderland
Middle
Grade Fantasy Where Endangered Animal Heroes Roam the Pages!
I really enjoyed your post about the Howe Island Stick Bug! They do look creepy! My grandson and I enjoyed the company of a very small green praying mantis on our back porch. We named him Buddy! But after a few weeks of growing, he went away, probably to one of the nearby trees. ... Your books look marvelous! Can't wait to read them. And, I love the illustrations here on your blog! Are these hedgehogs? I'm enamored of possums!
ReplyDeleteSo glad you enjoyed the blog post, and I am thrilled to hear that you like the books. I do hope you consider reading one or both! The little guys in the background are from my first book, The Sword of Demelza, and they are actually echidna babies, which are called puggles in Australia. They get into a lot of trouble in the first book! Thanks again for stopping by and for commenting. :-)
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDelete