What do you call a giant green walking stick...Niki Comparti's blog | Created 1 decade agoThe Broome Advertiser contacted us this week with a photo of an unusual insect taken near Cable Beach in the State's North West recently. We asked our Terrestrial Invertebrates technical officer Brian Hanich if we should be worried.... "The photo looks to be of the Goliath Stick Insect, Eurycnema goliath, known from the Kimberley region in WA (including Broome), and across other states as well. This species is apparently the second largest insect in Australia, measured by length. Specimens can be found up to 25 cm long, but most of ours are about 22cm, from head to tip of the abdomen. Males are considerably smaller and less bulky. Most of our specimens are from Derby, but we have them from Broome, Kununurra, Darwin, etc. There are many web sites that give information about the species, such as: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurycnema_goliath http://www.brisbaneinsects.com/brisbane_hoppers/Goliath.htm http://www.ozanimals.com/Insect/Goliath-Stick-Insect/Eurycnema/goliath.html and one web site in particular has great detail about rearing the species: http://nswfmpa.org/Husbandry%20Manuals/Published%20Manuals/Invertebrata/Goliath%20Stick%20Insect.pdf They seem to be feeders on eucalypts and other native plants. Despite the OHS warning in the last reference (page 5), I would consider these insects to be generally safe for handling. They are a native species and as such may be subject to restrictions set by DEC and/or other government bodies regarding captivity. In other words, if anyone wishes to keep these beautiful creatures as pets, they should check with authorities first." Good to know! (Image by Inga Petrov. Grab the Broome Advertiser on May 9 for their full story)