Giant leaf insects are found in the rainforests of Southeast Asia. Sometimes called “walking leaves,” they were not discovered or described by scientists until 1984!
The life of a giant leaf insect
Giant leaf insects can grow up to four inches long. They eat the vegetation of their forest habitat. They primarily feast on the leaves of trees including oak, eucalyptus and bramble, as well as fruits and plants like raspberry, rose and salmon berry.
Their camouflaged appearance helps them blend in with the forest and makes them very difficult to spot in the wild. They rock back forth to mimic a leaf being blown by the wind. Their camouflage is so effective that they sometimes accidentally consume other giant leaf insects!
Male giant leaf insects are rare and were not discovered until 1994. Female giant leaf insects can reproduce without mating. They lay unfertilized eggs that still produce offspring, which is almost always female. Eggs hatch after about six months and reach adulthood about nine months after hatching.
Insect-eating animals like birds, reptiles and small mammals may prey on giant leaf insects, but their camouflaged appearance protects them from most predators.
Giant leaf insects at the zoo
Located in the Insect Zoo.
