It’s All in the Disguise

What am I looking at?

This is a giant prickly stick insect (Extatosoma tiaratum) in a defensive “leaf pose.” It curls up its abdomen (1), raises its front legs (2), and plants its rear legs (3) so it can sway in the breeze – all to mimic a dead leaf on a branch.

Biology in the background

These stick insects can be found in Australia and have a long list of common names: spiny leaf insect, giant prickly stick insect, Macleay’s spectre, and Australian walking stick. They are masters of camouflage, with their spiny bodies, enlarged flanges on their legs, and coloration ranging from green to yellow to dark brown (and even a rare silver form) – all making the insect look like a small, leafy twig or a dried leaf.

They mainly feed on eucalyptus leaves but in captivity can be fed bramble. They are a good example of sexual dimorphism (the male and female of a species looking and acting differently), with the females being much larger than the males but having much smaller wings. In fact, while the males have large wings and are good fliers, the females’ wings are so small that they are nonfunctional. The females can reproduce parthenogenetically – without any contribution from males.

These insects can grow up to 20 centimeters long (about 8 inches).

Technique

These images were created using macrophotography.