Australian Walking Stick Insects Are Three Times Weirder Than You Think
From Deep Look
5 min2nd3rd4th5thScience
Summary
Australian stick insects don't just look like sticks -- some young ones mimic ants, and adults sway like branches in the breeze. Deep Look reveals the many disguises this master of camouflage wears through its life.
Viewer safety
All ages
Our rating is a quick teacher-to-teacher guide — preview before showing.
Teaching resources
Discussion questions
Talk about it
A stick insect blends into the plants it lives on by looking like twigs and leaves, sometimes changing disguises as it grows. Predators searching for a bug see only foliage.
- What does this stick insect look like, and why does that help it?
- How can changing its disguise as it grows keep it safe?
- In what habitat would a twig-shaped body work best?
Quick work-a-long
Vocabulary: camouflage, mimic, disguise, survive.
Try it: Hide a brown paper 'stick bug' somewhere in the room. Write which background hides it best and why.