She has studied animals most of her life through direct observation and maintaining a personal library about pets. Some people think that they can not use stick insect as a pet, but that is totally wrong. Some even sway in the breeze to copy their background. Within these areas, the stick insect usually inhabits woodlands and tropical forests, where it hides on trees in plain sight. Stick insects may even direct a chemical spray, much like tear gas, at the offender. Walking stick bugs from the Phasmida family look like sticks with legs and antennae, or twigs attached to a small branch. There are more than 3,000 species of walking stick bugs all over the world and in diverse climates, so it's not surprising that not all walking stick bugs look alike. Two-striped walkingsticks are chunkier than our other stick insects. Some species are also able to fly. Stick Insect Facts about Stick Insects 5: Habitat. Before bringing home or capturing a stick insect, you need to have a basic understanding of their needs — what foods they eat, what their behavioral habits are and, most important, how to set up a habitat … Stick insects aren't venomous but if threatened, one will use whatever means necessary to thwart its attacker. Like all insects, walking stick bugs lay eggs to bring in new generations. The northern two-striped walkingstick is a tan, brown, or brownish-yellow, elongated insect lacking wings, resembling a short stick. Provide an appropriate habitat for your stick insects. Stick Insect Facts and Information Introduction to Stick Insect. Many people think about the question of what do walking sticks eat, and some worry that they are going to have to source a specific type of food for them. Stick insects are a nation of Amazonians, able to reproduce almost entirely without males, using a process known as parthenogenesis. Some people keep stick bugs as pets. Walking stick bugs are more commonly referred to by their scientific names (In the United States at least) of either Phasmatodea, Phasmida, as occasionally as Phasmatoptera. Stick Insects Are the World's Longest, How Common Animals Use Camouflage to Their Benefit, Insects: The Most Diverse Animal Group in the Planet, The Types and Stages of Insect Metamorphosis, Bergmann's and Allen's Rules in Native European and Mediterranean Phasmatodea, B.A., Political Science, Rutgers University. A female of the species averages a few hundred eggs in her lifetime, which is up to three years in captivity. Take note that only some stick insects, such as the giant spiny stick insect, have evolved to develop spikes. Fun Facts about Stick bugs . Rena Sherwood is a writer and Peter Gabriel fan who has lived in America and England. Also known as walking stick insects, these little fellows are collectively known as phasmids. Although walking stick bugs are available in the pet trade, there are laws in some areas that forbid owning these insects as pets. Walking stick bug body structure and coloration resemble real twigs or branches so strongly that often birds or other predators do not notice them at all. Stick insect enclosures can be constructed from glass, wood as well as flyscreen and aluminium framing. The average length of this species is 75mm (3 in) for males and 95mm (3.7 in) for females. All walking sticks are herbivores. After the ants feed on the fats and nutrients, they toss the eggs onto their garbage heap, where the eggs continue to incubate, safe from predators. Stick insects are strictly vegetarian. Stick Bugs As Pets. In some cases, adult stick insects can even force themselves to molt in order to regain a lost leg. Some individuals are black with yellow stripes. Some stick insects exhibit lichen-like markings to make their camouflage more authentic but to make the disguise complete, stick insects imitate twigs swaying in the wind by rocking back and forth as they move. Females are generally larger than males. Walking sticks inhabit forests and grasslands and spend their life on the bushes and small trees. In fact, there are species of stick insects for which scientists have never found any males. The Titan Stick Insect is one of the longest stick insects in Australia. Should a bird or other predator grab hold of its leg, a stick insect can still make an easy escape. Juvenile stick insects regenerate the missing limb the next time they molt. The damage is usually minor unless defoliation occurs repeatedly over the course of several years. Copyright 2020 Leaf Group Ltd. / Leaf Group Media, All Rights Reserved. spark the imagination and get them excited about the world. Others are brown with tan stripes. These amazing bugs are hard to spot because they look so much … It rarely attacks the needle-like leaves of the pines, firs or spruces. The name Phasmatodea comes from the Greek term phasma, which means phantom or ghost.This is very aptly named because walking sticks are incredible at … According to the San Diego Zoo, other insects prefer eating the droppings, while birds, bats, reptiles, spiders and small mammals enjoy a walking stick adult as a meal. It's estimated there are over 3,000 different species of stick bugs in the Phasmatodea order. Average life span: The average lifespan of a Walking Stick is 1 to 2 two years. You can find them in the forests, grasslands, bushes or in small trees. National Geographic reports that some species play dead, while others have grown small spines on their legs that inflict a painful blow. They mostly live in temperate and tropical regions. Stick bug is a common name for a large group of insects in the Phasmatodea order. It is an insect known as a stick bug, also called a walking stick. They have 3 lengthwise stripes, though the side pair are often faint or diffuse; the stripe down the middle of … Stick bugs have a head, thorax and abdomen. In contrast, North America is home to the smallest species of walking stick, the Timema cristinea, which barely grows to a half inch long. It is fairly easy to care for and can be fed leaves such as lettuce and ivy. National Geographic: Stick Insect Profile, Walking Sticks -- The Perfect Insect Pet by John Locke. Walking sticks vary considerably in size according to their species. Using a special muscle to break it off at a weak joint, the imperiled insect simply sheds the leg in a defensive strategy is known as autotomy. Stick insect mothers aren't the most maternal. Walking sticks are opportunistic feeders, but some species feed on a single, preferred plant species. When all else fails, play dead, right? "Bergmann's and Allen's Rules in Native European and Mediterranean Phasmatodea." They blend in so well with the surroundings that we often think they are just sticks. Also, National Geographic notes that it is unknown if harvesting walking sticks from the wild is causing an adverse effect on wild populations. It needs a fairly tall enclosed glass area. These amazing bugs are hard to spot because they look so much like twigs—until those twigs get up and walk away, that is. For Indian stick insects, this means a cage a minimum of 15 inches tall, although a little higher would be better. Some species have wings and can disperse by flying, while others are more restricted. The Identity of a Cleptid Egg Parasite of the Common Walking Stick, Diapheromera femorata … Walking sticks are a favorite food of many animals, but perhaps their most effective predators are bats. Facts about Stick Insects 6: Stick insects as a pet. The walking stick prefers to feed on the foliage of certain broad-leafed plants. Eurycantha horrida expels a very foul-smelling fluid. 5, 2017, doi:10.3389/fevo.2017.00025. Stick bugs can also be commonly called bug sticks, stick insects and walking sticks. Walking sticks are found on every continent except Antarctica. Your stick insects home should be about three times as high as the total length of your stick insect. Stick insects, also called walking sticks, can have extremely long and slim bodies, but leaf insects have flat, wide bodies. After a nymph has molted, it's vulnerable to predators until its new cuticle darkens and hardens. Stick insects may also wear bright colors on their wings but keep these flamboyant features tucked away. In 2008, a newly discovered stick insect species from Borneo broke the record for longest insect (which had previously been held by another stick insect, Pharnacia serratipes). The Titan is a brown stick insect that does indeed look like a... Click to continue> Stick Insect (Ctenomorpha chronus) Ctenomorpha chronus is a large stick insect. Some stick insects can change color, like a chameleon, depending on the background where they're at rest. Debbie Hadley is a science educator with 25 years of experience who has written on science topics for over a decade. Stick Insects can easily be missed if you aren’t looking for them. Adults are mostly nocturnal and feed on tree or shrub leaves at night. Others reflex bleed, oozing a foul-smelling hemolymph from joints in their body. Glass tanks (10 to 15 gallons), tall glass jars, plastic pet containers, and other similar containers work well for housing. They are an important food source for other animals — some of which eat them, while others eat their droppings, which come from their hardy digestive tract's ability to break down certain tough leaves. It looks more like a dark stick or branch, and is usually found clinging onto or walking on plants. One of the reasons that they look like sticks is so they can graze on the leaves of their preferred trees in peace. Unmated females produce eggs that when mature, become female stick insects. Functional Ecology, 6(6): 642-648. Walking Stick My Home: I am usually found on bushes or in small trees. It's also helpful that the eggs resemble seeds, so carnivorous predators are less likely to take a closer look. One of the most well-camouflaged animals around, this insect looks just like a stick with legs. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, vol. If you are thinking of getting a stick insect as a pet or are considering breeding them, it is important to know what to feed them. While some stick insects females actually make an effort to hide their eggs—sticking them to leaves or bark or placing them in the soil—they typically drop eggs randomly on the forest floor, leaving the youngsters to whatever fate befalls them. Tropical climate is the habitat of stick insects, especially in the warmer climate. Walking sticks are diverse group of insects that can be found in tropical and subtropical parts of the world (only few species live in temperate areas). As the nymphs hatch, they make their way out of the ant nest. Stick insects occur on all continents except Antarctica. Like most walkingsticks, the Southern Two-striped Walkingstick is long and slender. Some of the large, tropical stick insects may use their leg spines, which help them climb, to inflict some pain on an enemy. The common walkingstick or northern walkingstick (Diapheromera femorata) is a species of phasmid or stick insect found across North America. A third and final defensive mechanism held by some stick insects is the ability to fly. The most common type of stick bug used as a pet is the Indian Stick insect. , using a process known as phasmids are over 3,000 different species of phasmid stick! 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