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Indian stick insect

Carausius morosus

Classification: Insect

Lifespan: 6 months - 1 year

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

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

Habitat: Forest floor

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

Diet & Feeding: Leaf litter

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

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

Number of young: They lay several hundred eggs

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

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