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Walkingstick

Animals Walking StickWallaby

Do walkingsticks curl their tails to look like scorpions?
No. Walkingsticks live in trees and scorpions live on the ground, so mimicking one wouldn't do the walking stick much good. It is more likely trying to resemble a curled up dead leaf.

 


Walkingsticks (family Phasmatidae) are an example of insects that have developed exceptionally camouflaged bodies. For birds and other predators looking for a meal, walkingsticks are hard to see because of their twig-like appearance.

Both male and female dobsonflies can reach lengths up to five inches (12.5 cm), measured from the tips of their pincers to the tips of their four wings, which, when not in use, are folded along the length of their walkingstick-like bodies.

The diet includes many insects and their larvae: caterpillars, cicadas, katydids, walkingsticks, grasshoppers, and beetles. Fruits are picked from chokecherry, birchleaf buckthorne, red pepper, and wild grape. Small lizards are also consumed.

See also: Grasshopper, Beetle, Katydid, Grasshoppers, Roach