A twig-like Indian Walking Stick insect eats a leaf

Tommi Vainionpaa keeps Indian Walking Sticks (Carausius Morosus) as pets. They are about 10cm long each, perhaps as long as 15cm if you include their legs. He filmed them eating, climbing and trying to hide in plain sight as they stayed as still as possible… like sticks! Slow moving at times, but completely fascinating. From National Geographic:

As its name suggests, the stick insect resembles the twigs among which it lives, providing it with one of the most efficient natural camouflages on Earth. It and the equally inconspicuous leaf insect comprise the Phasmida order, of which there are approximately 3,000 species.

That’s worth repeating: 3000 kinds of stick and leaf insects!

Phasmids generally mimic their surroundings in color, normally green or brown, although some species are brilliantly colored and others conspicuously striped. Many stick insects have wings, some spectacularly beautiful, while others resemble little more than a stump. A number of species have spines and tubercles on their bodies.

Found predominantly in the tropics and subtropics—although several species live in temperate regions—stick insects thrive in forests and grasslands, where they feed on leaves. Mainly nocturnal creatures, they spend much of their day motionless, hidden under plants.

There’s a great three minute stick insect introduction with narration via Backyard Bugs. Definitely worth watching next!

And here are stick insects from the archives.