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Chan's Megastick

Phobaeticus chani is a Phasmid, a type of insect that mimics its surroundings by looking a lot like a stick. This particular species, found in the treetop canopies of Borneo, is one of the longest. Only three specimens have ever been collected, but the longest, a female, has a body length of 14in (37.5cm). When you toss the legs in there, it reaches 22.5in (56.7cm).

(Image Source)
Chan's Megastick (named for it's discoverer, Datuk Chan Chew Lun) is also notable for its strange eggs, which have wing-like flaps on the cases to help them float and disperse.

This entry is a short one, unfortunately, because so very little is actually known about this amazing insect. Its habitat is so high up that they are extremely difficult to locate, and with the loss of rainforest areas, who known how many other species like this will never actually be discovered?
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  1. AnonymousDecember 13, 2010 at 3:58 AM

    Thanks for the centimeters, Lauren. I really appreciate it.

    Rinke, New Zealand

    ReplyDelete
  2. LaurenDecember 13, 2010 at 6:42 PM

    Glad to be of help :)

    ReplyDelete

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