1. Lord Howe Island Stick Insect

2. Introdution
There are hundreds of stick insects, but the Lord Howe Island stick insect is by far the most critically endangered of all of them. It can grow to five inches in length; but don’t worry, it’s not poisonous.

3. The Body
Adult Lord Howe Island stick insects can measure up to 15 centimetres (5.9 in) in length and weigh 25 grams (0.88 oz) with females bigger than males. They are oblong in shape and have sturdy legs. Males have unusually thick thighs. Unlike most phasmids they have no wings, but are able to run quickly.

4. Behavior
The behavior of this stick insect is highly unusual for an insect species. The males and females form some kind of bond. The males follow the females and their activities depend on what the female is doing.

5. The Birth
The females lay eggs while hanging from branches. Hatching can happen up to nine months later. The nymphs are first bright green and active during the day, but as they mature they turn black and become nocturnal

6. The stick insects were once very common on Lord Howe Island, where they were once used as bait in fishing. They became extinct there soon after black rats were introduced to the island in 1918 when the supply ship S.S. Makambo ran aground. The last one was seen on the island in 1920, and after that the species was thought to be extinct.
In the 1960s a team of climbers visited Ball's Pyramid, a rocky sea stack 23 kilometres (14 mi) south-east of Lord Howe Island. Ball's Pyramid is the world's tallest sea stack. The islet is treeless and extremely steep, with a peak 562 metres (1,844 ft) from the sea surface. The climbers discovered a dead Lord Howe Island stick insect. During subsequent years, a few more dead insects were discovered, but expeditions to find live specimens failed.