Summer for many people beer, crayfish are indispensable, and when it comes to creatures with the word "lobster", we have to mention a kind of "lobster" that cannot be eaten, that is, tree lobster, the scientific name is Lord Howe Island stick insect.
This slug does not fly, can generally reach a body length of 12 cm, and is currently mainly distributed on an isolated island southeast of Lord Howe Island. Around the 1930s, the creature was declared extinct by scientists, but fortunately it was discovered in this century as an adult individual.
Lord Howe Island stick insects are dark brown throughout, with thick antennae and a narrow abdomen. Unlike other stick worms that rely on their own color to camouflage into the environment to avoid enemies, Lord Howe Island stick bugs rely on their fast running ability to avoid enemy pursuits. Although it has no wings and cannot fly, it can run at high speed and evade the pursuit of predators.
Originally, Lord Howe Island stick insects lived on the island, but because the passing ships carried black rats, under the invasion of such a powerful alien species, this stick insect was rapidly reduced at a speed visible to the naked eye, until after 1920, there was no trace of lord Howe Island stick insects on the island. The insect was assumed to be extinct, but surprisingly, in 2001, the Lord Howe Island stick insect was rediscovered at the Pyramid of Pohrs. Although the number is small, it is enough to prove that it still lives in this world.
And later people found that lord Howe Island stick insect in order to adapt to the changes in the new environment, it also has a new evolution and change: originally its legs are relatively slender, but now in order to avoid being blown away by the wind, its legs began to become stronger, which made its running speed increased.
And some people speculate that the strong hind limbs of the male Lord Howe Island stick insect are actually to ensure that they can have more mating rights, after all, they spend most of their time in the cave, and the female Lord Howe Island stick worm will come out for an hour when it is dark, in order to win valuable mating time, the male Lord Howe Island stick worm will stop at nothing to grasp and fight. Those with strong bodies can use their lower limbs to chase away competitors, which has 2 times more chances of mating than emaciated competitors.
Moreover, Lord Howe Island stick insects are also a kind of "spoiled wife demon", and the male Lord Howe Island stick insects will wrap the females with their strong legs and resist the strong winds until they fall asleep smoothly. Such behavior can be said to be very rare in the insect world. There may not be many representatives of the insect world's spoiled wives, but there are many such cases in the animal world, and if you want to know more, you can search for "animal love" at the top of today's headline APP to learn more about animal love stories.