February 23rd, 2021 at 10:37PM

onenicebugperday:

Peppermint stick insect, Megacrania batesii, Phasmida

This stick insect is found in northern Australia and nearby islands, possibly up into the Philippines. It is known for its warning coloration and chemical defense - its common name refers to the irritating fluid (which smells like peppermint) that it sprays defensively from a pair of glands located at its prothorax when threatened. This species reproduces mainly through parthenogenesis (asexual reproduction), although sexual reproduction has also been observed.

Photo 1 by rob21, 2 by Sarefo, 3 by DiverDave, 4-6 by waldier, 7 by ashleighjm, 8 by matthew_connors, and 9 by michaelskvarla

  1. d-lishtastytheatre reblogged this from onenicebugperday
  2. beafties reblogged this from onenicebugperday
  3. devontiny reblogged this from fellowshipofthenoodles
  4. scuttledisk reblogged this from fellowshipofthenoodles
  5. two-calicos-in-a-trenchcoat reblogged this from fellowshipofthenoodles
  6. giantnerdsnake reblogged this from fellowshipofthenoodles
  7. lauraatulsa reblogged this from wildernestt
  8. sands-from-a-dead-sea reblogged this from onenicebugperday
  9. musashi634-t reblogged this from incredibleinvertebrates
  10. ocularose reblogged this from uncharismatic-fauna
  11. onenicebugperday posted this
1,235 notes #oooooooooooh
Short URL for this post: https://tmblr.co/ZFlf2tZlruM6me00