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As its name suggests, the stick insect resembles the twigs amongst which it lives, providing it with one of the most efficient natural camouflages on Earth.
Stick insects, like praying mantis, show rocking behaviour in which the insect makes rhythmic, repetitive side-to-side movements. Functions proposed for this suggest resemblance to vegetation moving in the wind.
Found predominantly in the tropics and subtropics. Stick insects thrive in forests and grasslands, where they feed on leaves. Mainly nocturnal creatures, they spend much of their day motionless, hidden under plants.
Extracted from National Geographic Website
Stick Insect found at Fraser Hill, Pahang, Malaysia. This is a female of Diardia Diardi (subfamily Necrosciinae) For image licensing, please contact me at hasnuddin@gmail.com or call 6-03-91017155
This Stick insect was at least 12 inches (30cm) long & it was shown to us by the wildlife guide at the hotel in the rainforest at Sinharaja as he knew my husband & I were interested. Even when we saw it we had difficulty deciding what was the insect & what was just a tree branch/stick.
If you look at the photograph numbered 16 you will find it easier to see the insect on the other photographs.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
As part of the Greenwich and Docklands International Festival, a huge praying mantis approaches the anemones in Lefevre Park, Bow
From wikipedia:
Spiders have several spinneret glands located at their abdomen which produce the silken thread. Each gland produces a thread for a special purpose. Seven different gland types have currently been identified, although each species of spider will possess only a few of these types, never all seven at once.
Normally a spider has three pairs of spinnerets, but there are spiders with just one pair or as many as four pairs of spinnerets, with each spinneret having its own function.
During the process of making a web the spider will use its own body for measurements, a very practical and ergonomic design feature of any web. This will allow the spider to move quickly around its own web with very few faults.
It will start with the most difficult part of construction, the first thread. The spider effectively uses the wind to carry its initial adhesive thread. With some luck the silk is released from its spinners and carried by the wind to a suitable adherable surface. When it sticks to a surface the spider will carefully walk over the thread and strengthen it with a second thread. This process is repeated until the primary thread is strong enough to support the rest of the netting.
After strengthening the first thread the spider will continue to make a Y shaped netting. The first three radials of the web are now constructed. More radials are added making sure that the distance between each radial is small enough to cross. This means that the number of radials in a web directly depends on the size of the spider plus the size of the web.
After the radials are complete the spider will fortify the center of the web with about five circular threads. Then a spiral of non-sticky, evenly spaced, circular threads are made for the spider to easily move around its own web during construction. The spider then, beginning from the outside in, will methodically create the adhesive spiral threads. It will utilize the initial radiating lines as well as the non-sticky spirals as guide lines. The spaces between each spiral will be directly proportional to the distance from the tip of its back legs to its spinners. This is one way the spider will use its own body as a measuring/spacing device. While the sticky spirals are formed the non-adhesive spirals are removed as there is no need for them anymore.
After the spider has completed its web it will chew off the initial three center spiral threads then sit and wait. If the web is broken without any structural damage during the construction the spider does not make any initial attempts to rectify the problem.
Webs allow a spider to catch prey without having to expend energy by running it down. Thus it is an efficient method of gathering food. However, constructing the web is in itself an energetically costly process due to the large amount of protein required, in the form of silk. In addition, after a time the silk will lose its stickiness and thus become inefficient at capturing prey. It is not uncommon for spiders to eat their own web daily to recoup some of the energy used in spinning. The silk proteins are thus 'recycled'.
The tensile strength of spider silk is greater than the same weight of steel and has much greater elasticity. Its microstructure is under investigation for potential applications in industry, including bullet-proof vests, and artificial tendons. Researchers have used genetically modified mammals to produce the proteins needed to make this material.
Ectophasia crassipennis mosca parásita de hemÃpteros, insecto de unos 16 mm de longitud con unos bonitos colores naranja marrón y unos curiosas manchas negras en las alas, posada sobre un junco
Ectophasia crassipennis Parasitic fly insect of about 16 mm in length with beautiful orange-brown colors and some curious black spots on the wings, perched on a reed
Aracena Huelva España
Septiembre 2020
... yes, this unusual but sweet sizeable ladybird is only found on the West of Scotland and survives all kinds of weather. If you are lucky to have one local to your garden you are always guaranteed a smile!
Come on ..... it's freezing outside well okay it's 1C but will be freezing this evening. I went on an insect hunt in the garden and apart from one dead spider in my garage ... nothing!! I started to walk about the house for a spider and my wife "went nuts" shouting at me "do you think I keep a dirty home!!" Oh, well, hope you like the little (actually quite large) native to our garden!!
Seasons Greetings to everyone!
Thanks to everyone for helping me hit Explore!
Our Daily Challenge - THE INSECT WORLD .....
This insect caught a ride with me into work on my backpack. It has apparently covered itself with detritus in an effort to cover and conceal itself. Though fearsome looking, it is less than 3/16 of an inch across.
What is it?
On close examination, this is an insect - looks like a porcupine ! They can jump a few feet and move quite rapidly. What are they ?
I've been collecting insects much longer than I´ve been photographing them. These are the ones I've got so far. Add a note if you are positive about an identification, or leave a comment if you want me to take a closer photo of a specific insect. ( the dragonflies are sadly decapitated, because the box fell on them)