Giant Stick Insect Discovery

A recently uncovered insect shocked experts with its weight and size. They suggested it might be the heaviest insect in Australia. The stick insect is 40cm long and weighs almost 1.62 ounces (45.93 grams) or about the weight of a golf ball. This insect has been known by the name Acrophylla alta. The heaviest insect in Australia is the giant burrowing cockroach, but scientists believe that the Acrophylla alta may be heavier.

A researcher from James Cook University, Professor Angus Emmott, said a picture of the insect was posted on social media. It created the idea that a stick insect could be that size. The image was then sent to Ross Coupland, another person working on the study, and he quickly thought it was something new. After many nights searching, they finally found one hidden high off the ground, so high that they needed a stick to get the insect down. Then they brought it back for study. After the insect laid its eggs, they confirmed it was a brand new species.

“It lives high in the canopy. So, unless you get a cyclone or a bird bringing one down, very few people get to see them.” Professor Angus Emmott said, thinking about reasons why its habitat was so high and hard to reach. That theory would also explain why they are so large for an insect: it would help them survive cold weather.

Afterwards, they published their findings in the Zootaxa journal, a scientific zoology journal.

The research team plans on finding a male to research, but finding one will be significantly harder because males are smaller and look different from females. One strategy that might work is trying to find one mating with a female insect.

The discovery is believed to help learn more about the differences between life in Australia. Some experts think that about 70% of insect species in Australia haven’t been discovered, but .

Citations:

“Huge Stick Insect Acrophylla Alta Found in Queensland, Australia.” BBC Newsround, 31 July 2025, www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/articles/ce3j22j9x42o.