Australian scientists discovered in a remote tropical jungle of Australia a new species of giant stick insect (Acophylla Alta) that weighs 44 grams, approximately the same as a golf ball, and measures 40 centimeters long.
“From what we know to date, this is the heaviest insect of Australia,” said Professor Angus Emmott in a statement published Thursday by James Cook University.
The expert, who works at the aforementioned Australian University, pointed out that the large size of the insect could be due to an evolutionary response to the “cold and humid” habitat of the Atherton Plateau, in northern Australia about 50 kilometers to the southwest of the city of Cairns, where it was found.
“Their body mass probably helps them survive in colder conditions, and that is why they have become this large insect over millions of years,” Emmott said.
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Australian heavy insect does not reach the Guinness record
James Cook’s professor identifies the location of the remote place and his particular habitat as the reason why this species was not discovered before.
“They are restricted in a small tropical jungle area of great altitude and lives at the top of the canopy. So, unless there is a cyclone or a bird that tear it down, very few people see them,” he said.
The eggs of these stick insects were also important to identify them as a new species, said the teacher.
According to the Guinness World Record portal, the registered heavy insect is a kind of giant weta, similar to a grasshopper and endemic in New Zealand, which came to weigh 71 grams.
With EFE information
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