The magical world is all lies. It would be strange if a Bowtruckle could protect trees!

In the movie "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" and the "Harry Potter" film series, there is a magical creature called "Bowtruckle".

They use their sharp front claws to dig out beetles from the soil, or use their front claws to attack the enemy's eyes. The prototype of the Bowtruckle in nature is not only unable to protect trees, but also a small insect that eats leaves!

The true identity of the Bowtruckle

Bowtruckles are actually what many people have heard of but may not have seen - stick insects (Phasmids), a type of mimic insects, most of which are shaped like sticks or branches.

Their body sizes range widely, with some species only 1.5 centimeters long and others reaching over 60 centimeters.

When they encounter danger, they can break their legs to save their lives, but the number of times they can regenerate is limited, and sometimes the regenerated legs may be deformed.

If you look closely, you will see that many stick insects have small spines on their feet, which they use to help them climb. Stick insects are found on every continent except Antarctica.

Image source: Wikipedia

Look at this big guy. Image source: Wikipedia

The visual system of stick insects makes them more adaptable to the night environment. Researchers found that adult stick insects have larger eyes and are more sensitive to sunlight, so they are more likely to be burned by strong light. This also explains why large adult stick insects tend to come out at night.

The size of male and female stick insects is very different. Female stick insects generally have no wings and are larger in size, while male stick insects are smaller in size and have wings.

Of course, there are also species like Ye Yi (pronounced Tongxiu) where the difference between male and female appearance is not obvious. Stick insects are one of the few animals in the animal kingdom that can reproduce parthenogenetically. Female stick insects can lay eggs without male stick insects and hatch small stick insects.

Not only can't protect trees, but they are also tree destroyers

In movies, bowtruckles are magical animals that protect trees. But in reality, stick insects are plant destroyers.

Female stick insects have several different ways of laying their eggs, either on the underside of plant leaves, stuck to dead branches or simply dropped to the ground.

The incubation period ranges from 13 to 70 days, usually 20 to 30 days. The hatched stick insects will move quickly, looking for edible host plants, then climb onto the plants and begin to eat the leaves. Even after adulthood, they will still feed on leaves and are real foodies.

Stick insects eating leaves. Image source: Science Photo Library

Many countries list stick insects as pests that have a serious impact on national agriculture and forestry.

Stick insects scare major agricultural and forestry countries

In Canada, you will never see stick insects in pet stores because the Canadian Food Inspection Agency lists stick insects, giant African snails and some cockroaches as insects that seriously harm agriculture and forestry. If you are found keeping them, you will be fined up to 250,000 Canadian dollars (about 1.25 million yuan).

In the United States, it is illegal to keep and illegally import all non-native stick insects (such as giant flat stick insects and leaf mites). Similarly, Australia does not allow the introduction of foreign stick insects. This shows how much damage stick insects have caused to the agriculture and forestry of various countries.

Announcement from Victoria Bug Zoo, Canada (Translated as: Because of the amazing reproduction and crop-eating speed of stick insects, they are listed as pests by the Canadian Food Agency. Even if you find a stick insect on your hand, you will face a fine of up to 250,000 Canadian dollars.), Source: Victoria Bug Zoo

Stick insects mainly harm oak trees in my country and are also agricultural pests.

Is this...also a stick insect?

There are more than 3,000 species of stick insects in the world, and they all look different and imitate different things. There is the Malaysian giant leafhopper (Pulchriphyllium giganteum), which imitates leaves, the giant thorny stick insect (Extatosoma tiaratum), which imitates dead leaves, and the giant flat stick insect (Heteropteryx dilatata), where the male resembles a stick and the female resembles a thorny leaf.

Giant leaf stalk, image source: Wikipedia

Giant stick insect, Image source: Wikipedia

The rarest stick insect

The Lord Howe Island stick insect (Dryococelus australis) is one of the most precious stick insects in the world. It was once thought to be extinct, but a small number of individuals were later discovered on Ball's Pyramid Island, not far from Lord Howe Island in Australia. When it was protected, there were only 24 individuals left in the wild.

Because of its lobster-like appearance, it is commonly known as tree lobster. The black rats that followed humans to the island are the main reason for its endangered status, but the good news is that thanks to the efforts of scientific researchers, they have been successfully bred artificially.

Lord Howe Island stick insect, Image source: Wikipedia

Emerging Pets

Now more and more people are starting to keep unpopular pets, insects are one of them. In our country, a small number of stick insects can be artificially raised.

Stick insects are easy to keep, and a vertical butterfly cage or storage box and a pot of roses can support most species. They have a long lifespan, can live for a year or even several years, and are one of the longest-lived insects.

Many businesses sell stick insect eggs, allowing buyers to experience the fun of hatching and raising them at the same time. However, the number of stick insects bred in China is small, so the price is still higher than other pet insects.

Although stick insects are harmful to plants, they are a source of food for many birds and play an important role in the ecological chain.

END

Audit Expert

Ho Ka Lok is a project officer of the WWF Northeast Resident Team.

Tadpole Musical Notation original article, please indicate the source when reprinting

Editor/Xiao Xitushuo