Critical Critters by Ralph Steadman

Author:Ralph Steadman
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781472936738
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Published: 2017-03-14T04:00:00+00:00

Lord Howe Island Stick Insect

Dryococelus australis

The Lord Howe Island Stick Insect was believed to have become extinct sometime around 1920 and this was due to the introduction of Black Rats to the island in 1918. In the 1960s there were various reports of sightings of large stick insects on Balls Pyramid, a rat-free rocky outcrop 23 kilometres from Lord Howe Island. Time passed and eventually a scientific research team managed to visit the rock in 2001 and ascertain that the Lord Howe Island Stick Insect really was alive. In 2003, another team was able to take two breeding pairs from their home and transport them back to mainland Australia. Melbourne Zoo conducts the largest captive breeding programme for the stick insect, which will help the species, as the population out on Balls Pyramid is believed to number only between 20 and 30. Hence it is considered as Critically Endangered, which is a tad better than being thought of as extinct, as it was before 2001.

Melbourne Zoo is conducting research into the insect’s lifestyle, behaviour, biology and diet to learn more about the creature. The ultimate goal is to reintroduce the stick insect to Lord Howe Island, but before that can happen the rats must be eradicated from the island. Then, and only then, does this particular critter have a chance of returning home.

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