Meet the new species of giant stick insect that weighs about the same as a golf ball
In a remote rainforest in Australia, home to deadly snakes, spiders and creepy-crawlies, scientists have discovered a new species of stick insect they believe is the heaviest ever found in the country.
James Cook University’s Angus Emmott, who helped identify the new Acrophylla alta species, said the creature’s large size could be an evolutionary response to its cool, wet habitat.
“Their body mass likely helps them survive the colder conditions, and that’s why they’ve developed into this large insect over millions of years,” he was quoted as saying in a media release.
The new stick insect was discovered in the canopies of the mountainous Wet Tropics region of Far North Queensland, in Australia’s northeast.
“It’s restricted to a small area of high-altitude rainforest, and it lives high in the canopy. So, unless you get a cyclone or a bird bringing one down, very few people get to see them,” he said.
