Indian stick insect

Lifespan: 6 months - 1 year

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Threats: Birds, small reptiles and rodents due to it’s small size

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Distribution: Native to New Zealand but accidentally introduced around the world

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Habitat: Forest floor

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Appearance: About 80-100 mm in length, ranging from a light green to a darkish brown in colour

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Diet & Feeding: Leaf litter

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Social Behaviour: As the insects are surrounded by food and have no need to find a mate, they have little natural inclination to move far

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Males and females: They breed parthenogenetically - meaning that the young hatch from eggs produced without fertilization by a male

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Number of young: They lay several hundred eggs

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Interesting fact: If a young stick insect loses a leg it is sometimes able to grow a new one in a process called regeneration