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‘Walking sausage’: the giant stick insect that proves it’s not over till we give up

The Guardian UK Friday 07 August 2026, 11:00 UTC By Patrick Barkham 1 min read
Key Points

Also known as the tree lobster, this ultra-rare creature was inadvertently driven to the brink by European settlersRevealed: the top 10 invertebrates of the yearWhen small species are left alone to evolve for centuries on small islands, they often become larger. Quietly, over thousands of years, Dryococelus australis grew to a great size on Lord Howe Island, in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand. But the peaceful life of the Lord Howe Island stick insect, an invertebrate of...

Also known as the tree lobster, this ultra-rare creature was inadvertently driven to the brink by European settlers

When small species are left alone to evolve for centuries on small islands, they often become larger. Quietly, over thousands of years, Dryococelus australis grew to a great size on Lord Howe Island, in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand.

But the peaceful life of the Lord Howe Island stick insect, an invertebrate of such gargantuan proportions that it is also fondly known as the tree lobster, was destroyed by European settlers. In 1918, a shipwreck brought black rats to the island. The flightless insects were once so common they were used by settlers as bait for fishing, but the rats wiped out the entire population on the island in just two years.

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European (ORG) Howe Island (LOCATION) the Tasman Sea (LOCATION) Australia (LOCATION) New Zealand (LOCATION)
Originally published by The Guardian UK Read original →

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