Holy Stick Bug!
Trip Start
Nov 16, 2008
1
5
28
Trip End
Dec 31, 2008
Bli Bli, Queensland, Australia
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
the stick bug relies heavily on its camoflage as its mode of defense, and in all fairness mother nature has given them a good one. if she had not been on our green covered grill (where it was obvious she didn't belong) but in a tree as is her natural habitat, then i bet you money you'd have a hard time picking her out.
i am referring to the insect as a "she" as females grow much larger than do the males, and in the Giant Stick Bug species (the largest of 150 species in Australia!) they can grow up to 30 cm long which is about the size of the bug on our grill. surprizingly they have beautiful purple-brown wings they can unfurl to startle a predator, but they are usually hidden under a set of drab colored wings, most likely to aid in their camoflage endevours.
the entire time i was harassing her and taking pictures of her (though i didn't touch her) she never moved or flinched. who knows how long she stayed there overnight, but she was gone in the morning.
i'm also posting a few pictures from my very first kangaroo encounter. Lana took me to the local univeristy where a group of Eastern Grey Kangaroos are known to live in hopes she could show me some. after driving around for a few minutes, sure enough we found two different groups grazing on some of the univeristy lawns. i didn't dare get too close-- though Lana was teasing me that i could have gotten closer-- and because it was dark you can just barely make out their silouettes among glowing eyes. still, it was very cool.
