Peppermint Stick Insect

The peppermint stick insect of Tropical Northern Australia is an intriguing creature. When alarmed it defends itself by emitting a strong distinctively minty aroma.

The females are much larger than the males, both have wings although the males have larger wings and will travel to find a female.

Rarely seen, they live in small pockets of coastal lowland rainforest with two colonies confirmed at Etty Bay an hour south of Cairns and also at CapeTribulation in the north. Their host plant is the native pandanus and their vibrant green colouring helps them to camouflage to their surroundings.

A number of these interesting insects are able to be viewed at the Australian Insect Farm at Daintree Village, north of Cairns.

Walkingstick (Macleay's Spectre)

Walkingstick (Macleay's Spectre)
Originally uploaded by S amo

The Giant prickly stick insect! Also known as Macleays spectre is found in the rainforests of Tropical North Queensland, Australia they look incredibly spiky but are actually soft to touch!

Glowworms turn on to a rythym

New research is discovering more about the lives of glow worms living in caves. They seem to switch their glow on and off depending on what time of day it is.

Read the article from the ABC here:

http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2008/09/01/2350379.htm?site=science&topic=latest

Termites could save your life

Termite mounds

This article talks about how termites can save your life! A man who was lost in the outback survived by eating these small creatures while waiting for his rescue.

news.bbc.co.uk - Bug feast saves Outback pest man
When a former pest-control officer lost his bearings in Australia's Outback he thought he would die, until he stumbled on a termites' nest and "got stuck in".
Theo Rosmulder, 52, managed to survive for four days by feasting on termites and other insects before local Aborigines rescued him.

Read the full article here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7532781.stm

Butterflies 'eye spots'

Here's an interesting article I found on butterflies' eye spots, I've always thought they were designed to 'trick' predators but new research seems to suggest otherwise.


Why Butterflies Have 'Eye Spots'

By Stéphan Reebs, Natural History Magazine
posted: 31 August 2008 10:13 am ET

Owl butterflies in the genus Caligo are so named because of the large eyespots, or ocelli, on the undersides of the hind wings. When the butterfly lands and folds its wings over its back these eyespots are prominent and threaten would-be predators.

Some moths and butterflies bear circular, high-contrast marks on their wings that have long been thought to scare off predators by mimicking the eyes of the predators' own enemies.

Not so, say Martin Stevens and two colleagues at the University of Cambridge in England, who argue the marks work simply because they are conspicuous. (Predators are wary of prey with

striking patterns, as those patterns often warn of toxic substances.)

Read the whole article here:

http://www.livescience.com/animals/080830-butterfly-spots.html

Amazing Insects