Acanthoxyla
Update: Dr Steve Trewick, of Massey University, kindly mentioned that our stick insect was in fact an Acanthoxyla instead of Argosarchus Horridus. Thanks Steve! I hope we’ll get a chance to see an actual Argosarchus Horridus one day.
“Argosarchus Horridus” That’s the latin name for a Spiny Stick Insect. They can be found anywhere in New Zealand, for instance, on our bedroom wall. They can grow up to 13cm long, so this one was a biggie!
They look very cool, and they have the funniest wobbly walk. They’re quite strong and sturdy, I noted as I grabbed our friendly little stick figure to put it outside. As soon as I released it in our garden, it wobbled off to blend in with the abundance of real sticks, branches and twigs.
