Also known as jungle nymphs, Giant thorny walking sticks are found in tropical rainforests primarily in Malaysia but also Thailand, Singapore and Sumatra.
The life of a giant thorny walking stick
Giant thorny walking sticks live about four months in the wild, or up to two years in human care. Females can grow to six inches while males grow can to four inches. After mating, female giant thorny walking sticks lay more than 100 eggs at a time, which they bury under soil. The eggs take 12 to 16 months to hatch.
Females and males each have a distinct look. Males are brown and appear like a dead leaf, while females are green or yellow and shaped like a living leaf. They eat the leaves of trees and plants, including guava, blackberry, rose and oak leaves.
Giant thorny walking sticks gather in trees to enhance their camouflage. They avoid the attention of predators by looking like a group of leaves. Their large and thorny exoskeleton helps defend against predators by clamping their attackers between their sharp, barbed hind legs.
Their predators include reptiles, birds and spiders. Monkeys and small mammals also eat giant thorny walking sticks.
Giant thorny walking stick at the zoo
Located in the Insect Zoo.
