About Walking Stick Insects

Appearance

• Walking stick insects live up to their name by actually looking like a small stick. They walk around on six long, thin jointed legs. All sport a pair of antenna, and some varieties have wings. Their head is the smallest part of the body, outfitted with a set of jaws and pair of compound eyes. Their three-part body also contains the thorax in the center and a lengthy, segmented abdomen that sticks out behind the rear pair of legs. Their stick shape and brown or green color makes it easy for them to blend into trees and other foliage to hide from predators.

Region

• Walking stick insects live in a range of climates, from the tropics to the temperate, as long as they have forest, grasslands or other foliage in which to hide. The United States has its fair share of the insects, with especially heavy populations in the southern states. Walking stick insects also live in Africa, South America, parts of Europe, Asia and Australia.

Size

• With more than 3,000 different species of walking stick insects, their size can vary widely, according to National Geographic. The smallest is North America's Timema cristinea, which averages about one-half inch in length. The largest, by far, is Borneo's Phobaeticus kirbyi, with a 13-inch body and overall length of up to 21 inches when the stick stretches out its legs. Female walking stick insects are generally larger than the males.

Prey and Predators

• Walking sticks have no prey other than vegetable matter, but they are nutritious prey for several predators. Stick insects are herbivores that dine on leaves, ivy, brambles and other plant life. Despite their hard exoskeleton, they make a fine meal for spiders, other insects, birds, reptiles, bats, rats and a host of other rodents.

Defense

• The walking stick insect's camouflage is their most obvious defense, and they have a few others. Some can detach their limbs when the limb is trapped by a predator. Others deter predators by swatting at the hunters with their spindly legs. North America's Anisomorpha buprestoides species discourages predators by sending off a rancid liquid. Some emit blood from their leg joints or a foul liquid through their mouths to further deter hunters. Many stick insects also play dead when cornered or stay motionless throughout the day, preferring to eat at night when fewer predators are around.