Joel Sartoreのインスタグラム(joelsartore) - 3月26日 01時24分

Lord Howe Island stick insects at the @Melbourne_Zoo, a part of @zoosvictoria.
This insect once lived on an island called Lord Howe, and were famous there for growing as large as a human hand and serving as excellent fishing bait. They existed on the island until 1918, when rats from a broken down supply ship evacuated onto the island and realized how delicious these enormous bugs were. Two years later, the rats had devoured each and every known Lord Howe stick insect. They were presumed extinct.
Then, in the 1960’s, a rumor began to circulate that “recently dead” corpses of this bug had been spotted on the rocks of an incredibly tall, narrow, volcanic island located off the coast of Australia. Since these insects were nocturnal, the only way to see them would have been at night-- not the ideal time to climb an eighteen-hundred foot cliff in the middle of the ocean. But in 2001, an Australian scientist and local ranger took that risk. They scaled the rock wall and discovered a tiny bush poking out from the cracks. Underneath were twenty-four huge, shiny, black bodies-- all alive. These were the last living Lord Howe Island stick insects in existence.
Two of these bugs, named “Adam” and “Eve” were delivered to the Melbourne Zoo, part of Zoos VIctoria, where a breeding program was established. Today, more than 700 of these bugs currently reside at the zoo, and the program continues.
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#lordhoweisland #stickinsects #photoark #natgeo

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