The Birth of a Stick Insect

Have you ever wanted to know how gigantic bugs hatch? Well, here is your chance to watch a rare giant Australian Lord Howe Island stick insect hatching and getting started with life. It turns out to be quite a struggle for the poor green young crawler to get out of the egg.

The insects are in a special program to conserve their species at the Melbourne Zoo. They are originally from an island (Lord Howe Island) east of Australia but when their homeland (island) was invaded by black rats almost none of the giant stick insects survived the hungry rodents except for about 20 who somehow made it to another not-so-nearby island by unknown means. Everyone thought the species was extinct but later, when the few survivors were found, scientists did their best to breed some more and are trying to re-populate Lord Howe Island with the young ones shown in the video.

Adult Lord Howe Island Stick Insect also known as 'Tree Lobsters'