This Stick Insect Has a Peppermint-Scented Secret Weapon
From Deep Look
5 min3rd4th5th6thScience
Summary
The peppermint stick insect looks like a harmless twig, but when a predator gets too close it sprays a minty, eye-stinging chemical from a gland behind its head. Deep Look reveals both its camouflage and its chemical defense.
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Teaching resources
Discussion questions
Talk about it
This insect has two survival tricks: a body shaped like a twig to hide, and a spray gland to fight back. Both are structures that help it stay alive.
- What are the two different ways this stick insect protects itself?
- Why is looking like a twig a good defense in its habitat?
- When would the insect need its spray instead of just staying still and hidden?
Quick work-a-long
Vocabulary: camouflage, gland, defense, predator.
Try it: Name an animal you know that hides and one that fights back. Write one sentence about the structure each one uses.