Why are stick insects called masters of disguise ?

The body of the stick insect is bright green. When they perch on tree branches, they look no different from dead branches. Second, the body color of stick insects also changes with the surrounding environment, sometimes green, sometimes brown, and sometimes yellow.

Thirdly, stick insects also change their color according to changes in the outside air temperature. When the temperature drops, the bamboo <>

The body color of the insect will darken; When the temperature rises, it brightens again. It is also by virtue of these stunts that the stick insect has successfully deceived the eyes of the enemy and has become a veritable "master of disguise". Stick insects are nocturnal, and during the day, they just stay quiet.

Since they look very much like twigs, they are usually not spotted by enemies. The stick insect is so cleverly camouflaged that it is only spotted when it crawls. When it flies up when it is violated, a sudden flash of colored light will confuse the enemy.

But this colored light is only a fleeting moment, and when the bamboo leaf insect lands on the ground and folds its wings, it suddenly disappears. This is known as the "flash method" and is a method used by many insects when they escape. The stick insect is a well-known master of camouflage, and when it perches on a tree branch or bamboo branch, it resembles a dead branch or a dead bamboo, and it is difficult to tell the difference.

This ability of stick insects to be fake and real is called mimicry in biology. Stick insects are the best at camouflage and have superb stealth skills. When it climbs on a plant, it can match the shape of the plant with its own body shape, and dress up as an imitation of the plant, or branches or leaves, which is so vivid that it is difficult to detect its existence if you do not look closely; At the same time, it can also change its body color according to the difference in light, humidity and temperature, so that it can fully integrate into the surrounding environment, making it difficult for birds, lizards, spiders and other natural enemies to detect its existence and be safe and sound.

The peculiar stealth survival behavior of stick insects is superior to that of other mimicry insects. The crown of this stealth technique is, of course, also possessed by the stick insect.

Most of the stick insects are omnivorous and have a long feeding time, and with the increase of insect age, the amount of individual leaf eating increases, so the old nymph stage and adult stage are the main damage periods. Feeding time is visible during the day and night, but most of them feed and are active in the evening. In the old nymph stage, the average daily food growth rate of males was greater than that of females, which was consistent with the early development and short duration of males.

However, after the adult stage, females are larger than males, and their reproductive needs lead to greater food intake than males. The total leaf eating is greater than that of males. For example, with the increase of insect age, the feeding amount of the 1 4 instar accounted for the total food intake, the 5 6 (7) instar and the adult stage, so the 5 6 (7) instar nymph stage and the adult stage were the main damage periods.

1 female of Heterotailed Chinese branch <> throughout her life

The average feeding volume of the male insect was about one leaf, and the average leaf feeding volume of the male insect was about one leaf in a lifetime, and the feeding amount of the female insect was significantly greater than that of the male insect.

Stick insects live in bamboo forests and are the longest insects in the world with a body length of 33 centimeters. Its head is almost the width of its body, and its elongated and segmented body resembles a bamboo branch. The forefoot is short, with two pairs of slender middle and hind thoracic feet clinging to the sides.

The forefoot often clings to the base of the stalk of the bamboo leaf, and the hindfoot grasps the bamboo joint. When it rests on the bamboo branches, it sometimes stretches out its middle and back chest and feet, and shakes slightly from time to time, as if the bamboo branches have been blown by a breeze. There is a gap between the leg node and the rotating joint of the thoracic foot of the stick insect, which is easy to break off and fall off when encountering the enemy, and can regenerate after falling off.

When the sexes reproduce, the male and female have their tails connected and their heads in opposite directions, like extended bamboo branches, which is also a wonderful mimicry. The stick insect also has a trick: if the branch is vibrated slightly, it will fall into the grass, fold its chest and feet, and play dead motionless, and then <>

After waiting for the opportunity to sneak away.

Stick insects, adults can reach 8 12 cm in length, the anterior thorax is short, the middle and hind thorax are long, the antennae and forefeet stretch out together, and the whole body is like a branched bamboo or branch.

Stick insects can also disguise themselves better by changing the color of their bodies. It also has an even more absolute secret**, that is, it can "fake death". After falling from between the branches, it stiffens and does not move, no matter how you look at it, you will not see the flaw, because it is like a dead branch falling from a tree.

is so smart that people have to admire.

Stick insects are slow to move, lying dormant on branches during the day and coming out at night to feed on leaves. It also reproduces in a peculiar way, the female lays her eggs on a branch, and it takes a year or two for the larvae to hatch.

Interestingly, some females can lay eggs without mating, and this type of reproduction is called parthenogenesis. The larvae often climb trees at night, and after several molts, they grow into adults, and the adult life span is only 3 to 6 months.

Stick insects that wait quietly during the day will not be detected by enemies, and will only be spotted when they are crawling. When it flies up when it is violated, it will suddenly flash a colored light, which is used to confuse enemies. But this colored light is only a flash, and when it folds its wings, it suddenly disappears, which is known as the "flash color method" and is a method used by many insects to escape.

Males are more active and active day and night. Nymphs and adults flex their ventral ends upward, and when disturbed, they retreat and fall again, emitting odorous fluid with the anterior horn of the dorsal plate of the anterior thorax.